Notice of Intent to Adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration Notice is hereby give by the Imperial Irrigation District of the availability for public review of a Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Path 42 Upgrade Project. The Project consists of upgrading the existing 35 miles of Path 42 230kV transmission lines between IID’s Coachella Valley Substation, located southeast of the City of Coachella, California, and SCE’s Devers Substation, near North Palm Springs, California, from single to double conductor per phase; this involves reconductoring 20.3 miles of IID’s KN/KS transmission lines between Coachella Valley and Ramon/Mirage Substations and the 0.27 mile RamonMirage transmission line and 15 miles of SCE’s Devers-Mirage 230kV transmission line between Devers Substation and Ramon Substation. Reinforcements to the steel lattice structures and foundations will be required to accommodate the upgrades to the Path 42 transmission lines. Two new steel pole structures are also proposed within IID’s portion and three replacement lattice structures are proposed within SCE’s portion. Associated upgrades to the IID Coachella Valley, and SCE Mirage and Devers substations will also be implemented. The Path 42 Transmission Upgrade Project is located within Coachella Valley in California. The 35-mile-long linear corridor has a northwestern terminus at SCE’s Devers Substation in North Palm Springs, California, and a southeastern terminus at IID’s Coachella Valley Substation in Coachella, California. The following table identifies the legal description of the lands encumbered by the Path 42 Project: Township/Range (All within the San Bernardino Meridian) T. 3 S., R. 4 E. T. 3 S., R. 5 E. T. 4 S., R. 5 E. T. 4 S. R. 6 E. Section Subdivision 3 4 9 10 11 13 14 24 19 20 28 29 30 32 33 34 1 2 3 12 7 8 9 14 15 S½; SW¼, S½SE; N½N½NW¼; NE¼NE¼; W½NW¼, SE¼NW¼, NE¼SW¼, W½SE¼, SE¼SE¼; W½NW¼, SE¼NW¼, NE¼SW¼, W½SE¼, SE¼SE¼; NE¼NE¼; NE¼NE¼. W½NW¼, SE¼NW¼ NE¼SW¼, W½SE¼, SE¼SE¼; SW¼SW¼SW¼; SW¼SW¼SW¼; SW¼NE¼, NW¼, NE¼SW¼, SE¼; NE¼NE¼NE¼; NE¼NE¼NE¼; SE¼NE¼, E½NW¼, NW¼NW¼, N½SE¼, SE¼SE¼; W½SW¼, SE¼SW¼. SW¼SW¼; S½NW¼, NE¼SW¼, N½SE¼, SE¼SE¼; E½NE¼, NW¼NE¼, NE¼NW¼; N½N½, S½NE¼. SW¼NE¼, S½NW¼, N½SE¼; N½SW¼, SE¼SW¼ S½SE¼; SW¼SW¼SW¼; W½SW¼, SE¼SW¼, SW¼SE¼; SE¼NE¼, S½NW¼, NE¼SW¼, N½SE¼; T. 4 S., R. 7 E. T. 5 S., R. 7 E. T. 5 S., R 8 E. T. 6 S., R. 8 E. 16 17 20 21 23 24 19 28 29 30 33 34 35 1 2 12 7 8 16 17 21 27 28 34 35 2 NE¼, NE¼NW¼, W½W½; E½E½; NE¼NE¼NE¼; N½N½NW¼; N½NE¼, SE¼NE¼, NE¼NW¼; S½NW¼, NE¼SW¼, N½SE¼, SE¼SE¼. S½SW¼; SW¼SW¼; S½NW¼, N½SW¼, W½SE¼, SE¼SE¼; E½NE¼, NW¼NE¼, N½NW¼; W½NE¼, SE¼NE¼, N½NW¼, NE¼SE¼; SW¼NW¼, N½SW¼, SE¼SW¼, S½SE¼; SW¼SW¼SW¼. E½SW¼, NW¼SW¼, S½SE¼; S½NE¼, E½NW¼, NW¼NW¼, N½SE¼; N½NE¼. SE¼NE¼, NW¼, N½SE¼, SE¼SE¼; W½SW¼, SE¼SW¼, SW¼SE¼; W½W½, SE¼SW¼; E½NE¼, NW¼NE¼, NE¼NW¼; SW¼NE¼, E½NW¼, NW¼NW¼, W½SE¼ SE¼SE¼; W½NW¼, N½SW¼, SE¼SW¼, SW¼SE¼; E½NE¼; E½NE¼, NW¼NE¼; SW¼NW¼, SW¼. NE¼, NE¼NW¼, NE¼SE¼, S½SE¼. PUBLIC REVIEW PERIOD: The Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration will be available for public review and comment for 30 days (from August 21, 2013 through September 19, 2013). Discussion of potential impacts is included in the Environmental Assessment/Initial Study. No significant immitigable impacts were identified for the Project. There is a potential for significant impacts to air quality and biological and cultural resources. These potentially significant impacts and the mitigation measures to reduce these impacts to less than significant are addressed in the Environmental Assessment/Initial Study and a Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration has been prepared and is recommended for approval. Copies of the Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration and the Environmental Assessment/Initial Study are on file at Riverside County libraries in Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indio, La Quinta, Mecca, Palm Desert and Thousand Palms; at the Bureau of Land Management (the Project’s NEPA Lead Agency) Palm Springs Field Office, 1201 Bird Center Drive, Palm Springs, California 92262, the BLM website: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/palmsprings.html and at the Environmental Services Office of the Imperial Irrigation District located at 1653 West Main Street, El Centro, California [hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday thru Thursday (and alternating Fridays)] and on the Imperial Irrigation District’s website – www.iid.com. All comments concerning this environmental document must be submitted in writing to: Imperial Irrigation District Attn: Donald Vargas, Environmental Analyst P.O. Box 937 Imperial, CA 92251 Phone: (760) 482-3609 Fax: (760) 482-3603 E-mail: [email protected] All comments must be received prior to the close of the business day on September 19, 2013. The Imperial Irrigation District is required to consider all written comments received during the noticed public review period prior to approving the project.