Mount Shasta council adopts mitigated negative declaration for Spring Hill water project

The Mount Shasta City Council on Sept. 22 adopted a mitigated negative declaration and mitigation monitoring and reporting program for the Spring Hill Water Supply and Storage Project following a presentation by Carla, a project consultant for nPlan.

The council’s action, taken by unanimous voice vote, clears the environmental review step required under the California Environmental Quality Act for construction of a new municipal well on Spring Hill Road and two storage tanks intended to improve pressure and fire flows for the northern parts of the city.

Carla, the nPlan consultant, told the council the project would include installation of a new well and well house on Spring Hill Road, a water line linking the well to North Mount Shasta Boulevard, extension of electric conduit in Spring Hill Road, and construction of two tanks roughly 55 feet in diameter and 24 feet tall. She said some trees near the proposed tank site would need to be removed to provide clearance around the tanks. "This project, as you know, is installation of a new well and 2 water tanks in the northern area of the city," Carla said in the presentation.

The initial study and proposed mitigation measures focus largely on construction-period effects. The mitigation monitoring and reporting program adopted by the council includes standard measures to reduce air-quality impacts from construction, protections for birds and bats when vegetation is removed, provisions to avoid impacts to monarch butterfly habitat and milkweed along Spring Hill Road, controls to prevent the spread of noxious weeds and wildlife entrapment in trenches, cultural- and tribal-resources discovery procedures, and a requirement for a geotechnical report for the tank site. Construction hours are limited to 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. unless the public works director approves an exception for traffic or low-demand overnight work.

Carla said the Draft Initial Study and MMRP were routed through the State Clearinghouse and made available for a 30-day public review period; the city did not receive public or agency comments during that period. The staff report noted the project has been identified in local planning documents dating back to 2010 and described the new well and tanks as intended to address existing pressure deficiencies, increase storage citywide, provide a redundant production well for emergency supply, and meet current waterworks standards.

Council members asked about potential cumulative effects if the Deck 6 well (formerly used by Dannon/Crystal Geyser operations) were returned to service by a future owner. Carla said deed restrictions currently prohibit use of that well for water bottling and that any future intensive use of the Deck 6 property would be subject to its own CEQA review, including cumulative-impact analysis. Staff also noted the city has data from prior industrial pumping at the mill site showing far higher historical pumping rates than the city's expected use; city pumping is anticipated to be intermittent and driven by tank levels, monitored by the SCADA system.

With the council’s adoption of the resolution and the MMRP, staff will file a Notice of Determination with the Siskiyou County Clerk and the State Clearinghouse as the next administrative step.

The council read the resolution (listed as CCR-25-19 on the public record) and approved it by voice vote; no council member recorded an opposing vote.

Details on the construction schedule, final tank siting, and tree removal will be determined in subsequent design and permitting steps and are subject to the adopted mitigation measures.