Cahto Forest Fire Lookout Tower - Installation of Air Quality Monitoring Equipment
Summary
SCH Number
2009048105
Public Agency
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
(CAL FIRE)
Document Title
Cahto Forest Fire Lookout Tower - Installation of Air Quality Monitoring Equipment
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
4/8/2009
Document Description
Temporary installation of air monitoring instruments in the second floor room of the lookout tower. The purpose of the monitoring is to provide essential baseline data for studying impacts of Asian emissions and the impacts of changing atmospheric and oceanic conditions on the air quality and climate of North American. The monitoring equipment operates on 115 V AC, requiring no more than 40 Amp service that will be met with existing wiring and existing PG&E electrical service. U.C. Davis will pay all energy remittances for equipment operations. The equipment will eventually be removed and monitoring continued from a permanent facility to be constructed on adjacent BLM property. Delivery of the instruments will be by small truck and will be carried up to the second floor by hand, with the exception of one instrument rack measuring approximately 5-ft x 3-ft x 2-ft that will be lifted to the exterior second floor door via an articulating boom or scissor lift. Installation activity will be confined to the lookout tower and the surrounding access road. To gather air samples for monitoring, small (1/4") Teflon tubes will extend out of the wall/window of the 2nd floor and will be mounted to one of the short poles on the top of the tower. The equipment will be checked and maintained periodically, but will remain unnamed except for short visits to retrieve data for offsite analysis. There will be no other modifications to the lookout structure.
Contact Information
Name
Louis F Sciocchetti
Agency Name
Cal Fire
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Counties
Mendocino
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 1, Sec 15301
Reasons for Exemption
This project involves the installation of scientific equipment to the interior of an existing lookout tower, with small probes to be attached to the exterior of the building. Structural integrity of the building will not be affected nor will operational activities associated with a forest fire lookout. Vehicle traffic associated with equipment installation and on-going air quality monitoring activity will not be any different from existing vehicle operations in the vicinity. No endangered, rare or threatened plant or animal species and/or archaeological resources will be impacted by this project. The Unit's Assistant Environmental Coordinator completed a limited environmental review to check for exceptions and concluded this project is indeed exempt - fitting the category for minor alterations to existing structures.
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