Since 2017, ECORP has completed a variety of on-call environmental consulting services for the Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) through task order-based and project-specific contracts. CVWD’s service area covers approximately 1,000 square miles from the San Gorgonio Pass to the Salton Sea, mostly within the Coachella Valley in Riverside and Imperial Counties in Southern California.
Examples of environmental consulting services provided include:
Environmental Impact Statement for the Whitewater River Groundwater Replenishment Project
ECORP prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a right-of-way grant 600-plus-acre area that is currently developed with a series of dikes, levees, spillways, and 19 groundwater replenishment ponds. The facility has been in operation since 1973 under various Bureau of Land Management (BLM) grants. The EIS was prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the BLM NEPA Handbook.
Specific environmental consulting services completed for the EIS included:
- Technical studies for hydrology and water quality, surface soils, air quality and greenhouse gases, and biological resources
- Public participation assistance, including English-Spanish translation of notices
- The drafting of Biological Assessment documentation to assist interagency consultations between the BLM and the United States Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS)
Sanitation Master Plan Update Program Environmental Impact Report
ECORP staff additionally prepared the Program EIR for the CVWD Master Plan Update, which provides a comprehensive, long-term capital improvement project consisting of recommendations to refurbish existing assets, optimize operations, and satisfy the projected capacity needs of all CVWD sanitation facilities including the collection system’s gravity pipelines, force mains, and lift stations along with five water reclamation plants.
As part of the Program EIR, ECORP
- Completed supporting technical studies for biological resources, cultural resources, air quality, greenhouse gases, energy, and noise
- Assisted CVWD with California Assembly Bill (AB) 52 tribal cultural resources consultation
- Provided bilingual staff to translate public notices from English to Spanish
- Coordinated the publishing of the notices in the regional Spanish and English newspapers
- Responded to comments during the public participation portion of the project
- Prepared the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program and Findings of Fact
In-house CEQA Documentation, Biological Resource Management, and Native American Consultation Assistance Services
ECORP provided technical staff to work as an extension of agency staff to prepare and process CEQA documents, conduct biological surveys, and prepare and distribute letters to Native American groups as required by AB 52. Various CEQA documents, technical studies, and construction monitoring assistance with capital improvement projects throughout the District’s service area were completed.
Environmental Consulting Services Provided:
CEQA and NEPA Documentation and Processing Services
Third-Party Review of Applicant-Prepared Documents
Biological Resources Management Services
Wetlands and Waters Assessment and Delineation Studies
Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Services
English-Spanish Translation Services
Cultural Resources Management Services
Native American Consultation Support Services
Noise and Groundborne Vibration Services
Construction Monitoring
