NOTICE OF PREPARATION OF DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT FOR LAX CENTRAL UTILITY PLANT REPLACEMENT PROJECT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC VIEWING

            (Los Angeles, California – April 9, 2009)  Los Angeles World Airports today announced the Notice of Preparation (NOP) of a Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Los AngelesInternational Airport (LAX) Central Utility Plant Replacement Project. 

The report is available for public viewing.

            The proposed project provides for replacement of the existing Central Utility Plant (CUP) and associated infrastructure and facilities at LAX.  The existing CUP provides heating and air conditioning to the LAX Central Terminal Area (CTA)   and includes a co-generation facility that uses steam from the boiler system to drive an electricity generator.  The resulting power is transmitted to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) grid.

            The CUP, constructed in 1961, and the co-generation facility, brought into service in 1985, are considered obsolete and inefficient relative to present-day technology, require substantial maintenance and do not meet LAX’s current needs.

            Components of the LAX CUP Replacement Project include: 

·         Construction of a new central utility plant and maintenance shop building, including potentially a new co-generation system, adjacent to the site of the existing CUP;

·         Replacement of existing cooling towers;

·         Site electrical upgrades, including a new electrical substation and existing LADWP substation retrofit;

·         Potential construction of a thermal energy storage tank at the site of the existing CUP;

·         Replacement of the approximately 18 miles of existing direct-buried chilled water and high temperature hot water service lines in the CTA;

·         Demolition of the existing CUP, and an existing electrical substation located near the new CUP;

·         Potential installation of pipelines connecting an associated existing LADWP recycled/reclaimed water pipeline to the CUP and a recycled/reclaimed water treatment system, and

·         Possible use of an existing natural gas pipelines for bio-gas.

            Environmental effects that may result from the proposed project include traffic/parking during project construction, air quality (including consideration of green house gases), human health risk and cumulative construction impacts.

            With the exception of the recycled/reclaimed water pipelines and treatment system that may be constructed to the north of the airport on LAX property and replacement of pipelines throughout the CTA, the proposed improvements   would occur in the CTA between the Air Traffic Control Tower and Parking Structures P2, P-2A, P-5 and P-6.

            The NOP is available online at http://www.ourlax.org/under the tab “Projects-Publications.” and selecting “Central Utility Plant (CUP) Replacement Project.”  A copy of the NOP is also available in the office of the Los Angeles City Clerk.

            For more information or to request a copy of the NOP, call LAWA at (424) 646-7690.  Responses to the NOP should be sent at the earlier possible date and must be received by LAWA no later than May 11, 2009. 

            Responses should be sent to Dennis Quilliam, City Planner, via e-mail to LAXCentralUtilitiesPlant@lawa.org, or by regular mail to City of Los Angeles, Los AngelesWorldAirports, 7301 World Way West, 3rd Floor, Los Angeles, CA90045.