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Utility seeks permanent emergency generator at northwestern booster pump station to improve firefighting reliability
Summary
Utility engineers asked the board to support a major deviation reducing the front-yard setback from 30 to 15 feet to install a permanent diesel generator adjacent to a booster pump station, citing reliability for firefighting, remote operation and reduced hazard compared with hauling portable units.
Michael Friend, the design engineer on the project, told the board the booster pump station provides water to a large northwest Reno area and currently relies on rented portable generators during high-fire-risk outages, a practice that can create traffic and safety hazards when equipment must be towed in.
Friend said the proposed permanent generator would occupy about 500 square feet, be enclosed in a high-grade sound attenuation enclosure, be oriented with exhaust away from neighboring homes, and be tested briefly monthly. "Under normal conditions the generator will only operate approximately 1 hour," Friend said; during outages it will run as long as necessary and will be remotely controlled through the SCADA system.
The application requests a reduction in the required 30-foot front-yard setback to 15 feet and includes a major site-plan review because the work encroaches near a drainage channel; the project proposes to clean and restore the channel (rip-rap) and remove debris to improve hydraulics and protect the station.
Board members asked about noise modeling (Friend cited 73 dB at the property line and about 56 dB at nearby houses), alternative siting feasibility and total project cost; Friend said purchase plus site work is roughly double the equipment cost (roughly $150,000 for equipment and about another $150,000 for site/engineering) and that a permanent unit becomes cost-effective over several years compared with repeated rentals.
Why it matters: The booster pump station supports firefighting and other essential services; a permanent generator reduces risk from relying on scarce portable units during emergencies and cutbacks in deployed power. The Planning Commission will review the deviation and site plan (scheduled July 15).
What’s next: The applicant will present to Planning Commission; the board and neighbors may submit comments on setback, flood/drainage impacts, sound mitigation and access for maintenance and fueling.
