EEG Environmental Analysis Charts Course for New EHV Line
The goal of the Ten West Link transmission project is to “strengthening a critical section of the Western electrical grid.” The 125-mile, single circuit, 500-kV overhead transmission line will traverse land managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of Defense, Arizona State Land Department and private landowners.
Construction involves installation of the new EHV overhead transmission line between the Arizona Public Service Delaney Substation near Tonopah in Maricopa County, Arizona, and Southern California Edison’s Colorado River Substation west of Blythe in Riverside County, California. The project also includes construction of a new series compensation station, or SCS. In 2019, DCR Transmission, LLC, the owner of the project, received a decision from the BLM to allow approximately 80 miles of right-of-way authority where the project crosses federally managed land in Arizona and California.
BLM based its decision, in part, on environmental analyses that EEG conducted under the Federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
EEG’s environmental services for the Ten West Link include:
- Preparing the Plan of Development with individual plans for access roads, traffic and transportation, SWPPP, SPCC, sensitive species protection, resource protection, and blasting.
- Installing and maintaining BMPs.
- Enforcing conservation measures for plant and wildlife species.
- Establishing protocols and surveying for special status species including Sonoran Desert tortoise, southwestern willow flycatcher, yellow-billed cuckoo, Arizona Bell’s vireo, golden eagle, desert bighorn sheep, Mojave fringe-toed lizard, and rare plants like Harwood’s eriastrum.
- Creating a plan for managing nuisance animals.
- Managing succulents and performing plant salvage.
- Controlling erosion and fugitive dust.
- Planning for the containment and management of hazardous materials.
- Writing protocols for emergency preparedness and response.
- Drafting and presenting plans for the management of:
- noxious weeds
- nesting birds
- solid and hazardous waste
- Crafting strategies and tactics for protecting:
- streams, wetlands, wells and springs
- birds and bats
- Producing guidelines for natural-resource monitoring and reclamation.
- Developing plans for fire protection and prevention.
- Construction compliance monitoring.
- Coordination with federal, state, and local agencies.
- Acquisition of permits.
- Preconstruction planning and monitoring.
- Development of a comprehensive Worker Environmental Awareness Program.
- Tracking all project mitigation measures and required actions.
Client
DCRT Transmission, LLC
Date
September 2018 to present. Expected completion – 2022
Location
Arizona and California
