Cal. Code Regs. tit. 14 § 20050
Due to the Delta's location between major population areas, its unique resources, especially water and natural gas, and its flat terrain and general lack of development, the Delta has high value as a utility and transportation corridor.
Utilities located in the Delta include: radio, cellular telephone and television transmission towers; electrical transmission lines including Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Sacramento Municipal Utility District, and Western Area Power Administration lines; natural gas pipelines, serving local gas fields and regional pipelines; petroleum transportation pipelines; and water transportation canals and pipelines transporting water from the Delta to regional users and to the State and federal water projects.
The regional electrical transmission lines carry power within California as well as between regions of the western United States. More than 500 miles of transmission lines and more than 60 substations lie within the Delta boundaries. Several electrical peaking plants surrounding the Delta depend on these transmission lines. Within the larger Delta-Suisun Marsh area are approximately 240 operation gas wells. Natural gas pipelines serve local gas fields and regional pipelines. PG&E's underground natural gas storage area under McDonald Island provides up to one-third of the peak natural gas supply for its service area. Pipelines carry gasoline and aviation fuel across the Delta from Bay Area refineries to depots in Sacramento and Stockton for distribution to Northern California and Nevada. They provide approximately 50 percent of the transportation fuel used in that region. The Mokelumne Aqueduct, consisting of three pipelines, is the main municipal water conveyance facility for 1.3 million people in the East Bay Municipal Utility District. The aqueduct crosses five Delta islands/tracts (Orwood Tract, Woodward Island, Jones Tract, Roberts Island, and Sargent-Barnhart Tract) protected by levees.
Local governments regulate the utilities that serve Delta residents and visitors including potable water, sewage disposal, and solid waste disposal. Most potable water is obtained from groundwater through local wells. Most wastewater from homes and businesses is treated in on-site septic tanks. Some of the larger communities and developments have self-contained wastewater treatment facilities. Communities outside the Primary Zone currently are anticipated to continue to release treated wastewater into Delta waterways (though wastewater discharge requirements issued by the regional water board), onto constructed wetlands, or onto agricultural lands. Most solid waste generated in the Delta is disposed of at facilities outside the area.
Transportation systems traversing around and through the Delta include several railroads and freeways, state highways, and county roads.
Three interstate freeways (Interstate 5, Interstate 80, and Interstate 580) provide major transportation and trucking routes that pass the periphery of the Delta. The three major state highways in the Delta (State Routes 4, 12, and 160) are typically two lanes, sometimes built on top of levees. Originally meant for lower traffic volumes at moderate speeds, the state highways are now heavily used for regional trucking, recreational access, and commuting. More than 50 bridges, including approximately 30 drawbridges, span the navigable channels of the Delta.
Regional rail traffic between the Bay Area and the Central Valley passes through the Delta. The Amtrak San Joaquin route from Bakersfield to Sacramento/Oakland, which crosses through the Delta, had nearly 800,000 riders in 2006. In addition, companies such as the Sierra Northern Railway use existing short-line tracks for inter-regional freight and passenger services.
Two major ports lie north and east of the Primary Zone, the Ports of Sacramento and Stockton, respectively. The Stockton and Sacramento Deep Water Ship channels traversing the Delta were constructed in 1933 and 1963, respectively. The Stockton channel is 35 feet deep and can handle 55,000-ton class vessels with full loads. More than 300 ships and barges used the channel in 2005. The Sacramento ship channel is 30 feet deep with plans underway to increase its depth to 35 feet. Both ports are likely to expand in the future, which would result in an increase in ship and barge traffic through the Delta. Several million tons of diversified products are shipped through the Delta each year.
Airports in the Primary Zone of the Delta primarily serve individual land-owners, agriculture-serving businesses and small air operations.
Ensure that the construction of new utility and infrastructure facilities is appropriate and the impacts of such new construction on the integrity of levees, wildlife, recreation, agriculture and Delta communities are avoided, minimized and mitigated.
Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 14, § 20050
2. Amendment filed 10-7-2010; operative 11-6-2010 (Register 2010, No. 41).
Note: Authority cited: Section 29752, Public Resources Code. Reference: Sections 29760, 29763 and 29763.5, Public Resources Code.
2. Amendment filed 10-7-2010; operative 11-6-2010 (Register 2010, No. 41).