Cargill Partnership
In 2019, EBDA was approached by Cargill, Incorporated with a proposal to discharge brine from Cargill’s Solar Salt Facility in Newark, California, into EBDA’s transport pipeline and outfall to the San Francisco Bay. Cargill manages a vast network of salt ponds separated from the Bay by a system of berms. Mixed sea salts (MSS) are what remains after product streams have been harvested from sea water. The ponds containing the MSS are adjacent to the Bay and could be impacted in the future by significant storms and King Tides, coupled with sea level rise. Cargill is taking a proactive approach to protecting the Bay through enhanced commercial processing and accelerated removal of its inventory of MSS by sending MSS brine into the EBDA system. The initially proposed project included improvements at the Newark Solar Salt Facility, including the construction of a new pump station and new pipeline to connect to EBDA’s system. The MSS brine would then be blended with effluent from EBDA’s member agencies and discharged through EBDA’s deep water outfall to the Bay.
Following EBDA’s certification of an Environmental Impact Report (see additional information below), Cargill concluded that the original pipeline route is infeasible. Cargill is therefore evaluating a revised pipeline route and a new connection point to EBDA’s system, shown in the map below. In some sections, Cargill proposes to repurpose sections of an existing inactive steel pipeline, significantly reducing construction-related disturbances and environmental impacts compared to the originally approved route.
The preliminary schedule for the project going forward is as follows:
For additional information on this project, please contact Jackie Zipkin.
CEQA Process
In accordance with the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (Public Resources Code [PRC] Section 21000 et seq.), EBDA determined that the proposed project required preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). EBDA is serving as the lead agency for CEQA compliance.
EBDA issued a Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Cargill Mixed Sea Salt Processing and Brine Discharge Project on January 4, 2023. A public meeting to receive comments on the Draft EIR was held on January 24, 2023. A recording of the meeting can be found here. A copy of the slides presented can be accessed here.
Following a public review process, a Final Environmental Impact Report was drafted, including responses to all comments received. EBDA’s Commission certified the EIR at its Commission Meeting on June 15, 2023.
Final Environmental Impact Report with Appendices (pdf)
ADA Section 508-compliant version of the Final EIR (Word)
References are available for public review at East Bay Dischargers Authority, 2651 Grant Avenue, San Lorenzo, CA 94580.
Due to changes in the pipeline route and the reduced amount of new construction required under the revised alignment, project impacts are expected to be significantly lower than those evaluated in the certified EIR. EBDA will perform environmental analysis on the revised project in compliance with CEQA, which will likely include a public review and comment period.