DR-4558-CA Public Notice 002

FINAL PUBLIC NOTICE: Western Riverside County Regional Wastewater Authority (WRCRWA), South Regional Pump Station, Riverside County, California | HMGP 4558-252-026

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) intends to provide Federal financial assistance under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) to the South Regional Pump Station in Riverside County, California. Under Executive Orders 11988 and 11990, FEMA is required to provide a public notice of any proposed actions in or affecting floodplains or wetlands. This notice serves as FEMA’s funding action located within the floodplain and implementing regulations at 44 CFR Part 9. FEMA hereby provides interested parties with a notice of its intent to carry out an action affecting a floodplain.

The purpose of the project is to install a permanent backup diesel engine-driven self-priming pump at the WRCRWA South Regional Pump Station. Project location: 671 North Atlantic Boulevard City of Corona (GPS coordinates: 33.893571, -117.577626). The self-enclosing, controlled diesel pump will be installed on a 20' x 30' concrete pad and will be elevated 4' high. The concrete pad will have an access ramp and will be enclosed with a 4' berm. Installation will require ground excavation of no more than two feet deep for a foundation slab and tunneling for electrical conduit.  The permanent system will supply automatic power and backup pumping capability in the event of electrical power loss, allowing the pump station to continue moving sewage to the treatment plant.

The project is located within the 0.2% Flood Hazard Area (500-year floodplain). Confirmation of location in the Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) was determined by the Riverside County Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) panel 06065C0689G, dated 08/28/2008. There is a potential for the facility to be impacted by future flooding events due to its location within the Shaded X, an area between the limits of the 1-percent chance and the 0.2 percent annual chance of flood. The proposed work will not take place in wetlands per the United States Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory.

Project Alternatives:

Alternative #1: Relocating the facility is not currently a consideration, as doing so would require dismantling the pipelines and utilities that currently support it and replacing them. The relocation option is not socially and economically feasible.

Alternative #2: If the backup pump is not installed, wastewater (sewer) services could be interrupted during a loss of electrical power. The South Regional Pump Station was built to collect and move wastewater to the WRCRWA treatment plant. The no action alternative is not feasible.

Alternative #3: Installing the backup pump and raising it above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) will not only prevent future interruptions to sewer collection and treatment in the event of power loss but will also prevent damage to the pump during a future flood. The proposed project aims to reduce risk by providing a backup system for resiliency and minimizing system downtime after a power loss. This option is the best socially and economically feasible alternative.

Additional information about FEMA’s proposed action, including maps showing the potential impacts on floodplains, may be obtained in writing. Comments are solicited from the public, local, state or federal agencies, and other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of the proposed project. The comments should be made in writing and addressed to the FEMA Region IX, Regional Environmental Officer, 111 Broadway Suite 1200, Oakland, California 94607, or may be emailed to fema-rix-ehp-documents@fema.dhs.gov. All comments must be submitted to the FEMA Region IX Office within 15 days after publication of this notice.