HomeMy WebLinkAboutChapter 9 PUBLIC UTILITIES SERVICES|
State law requires all general plans to include a conservation element which addresses
the “conservation, development and utilization of natural resources” (California
Government Code §65302(d)). Natural resources identified by statute include water,
forests, soils, wildlife, minerals, and other resources. This chapter addresses the
conservation of natural resources through goals and policies targeting stormwater
management, energy conservation and utilities, and recycling and solid waste. This
chapter also addresses other topics related to infrastructure, public facilities, and
public services. The Circulation Element includes additional content related to
transportation and street infrastructure.
Infrastructure and utility decisions have widespread impact on housing, development,
investment patterns, and quality of life. As Palm Desert expands, so does the need for
additional buildings to accommodate City personnel and infrastructure to provide
capacity for everything from educational services to wastewater management. It is
imperative to coordinate the timing of new development with infrastructure and
public utility capacity, so demands are adequately met. Also, providing reliable
Renewable energy in Palm Desert
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revenue sources to support the costly maintenance and replacement required for
aging infrastructure is of high importance.
Services and opportunities should be available and accessible to everyone in the
community. At the same time, employment and economic benefits associated with
building and maintaining infrastructure should be shared. The means for collecting
revenues to fund infrastructure improvements should be determined and applied in
ways that are fair and do not disproportionately burden those with lower incomes.
New development should not have a negative impact on existing residents and should
contribute to City resources so the current level of services can be maintained.
Policies supporting well-maintained infrastructure, utilities, and sufficient police and
fire services are essential for achieving broader development objectives and for
supporting the future envisioned by the residents of Palm Desert. The Infrastructure
and Public Services Element addresses the changing public service and infrastructure
needs and provides for their logical and timely expansion to keep pace with growth.
Fire protection, emergency medical services, and natural disaster preparedness
services in Palm Desert are provided by the Riverside County Fire Department (RCFD).
The Palm Desert Office of the Fire Marshal provides services aimed at reducing the risk
of fire and public injury.
The Palm Desert Police Department (PDPD) serves under contract by the Riverside
County Sheriff’s Department, providing police protection and crime prevention
services to residents of Palm Desert and the nearby SOI.
Public education services and facilities are provided to Palm Desert by the Desert
Sands Unified School District (DSUSD) and Palm Springs Unified School District. The
DSUSD operates four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school in
the city and SOI. Public schools are supplemented by fourteen private schools that
provide early education to children of residents. The Palm Springs Unified School
District owns a future K-8 school site within Palm Desert city limits. In addition, Palm
Desert is home to four colleges and universities that provide a variety of vocationa l
and advanced education opportunities.
Southern California Edison (SCE) provides electricity to most of Palm Desert, except for
a small portion of the city south of Interstate 10. SCE’s facilities include high-voltage
transmission lines, which range up to 115 kilovolts (kv) in Palm Desert. Lower voltage
distribution lines, which are typically gauged at about 12 kv in the city and SOI, provide
electricity to individual residences and other users.
The Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) is one of California’s investor owned
utilities regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission. SoCalGas is the
primary provider of natural gas to the Southern California region and provides service
Palm Desert Sheriff Station
Pam Desert Aquatic Center
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to properties within the City of Palm Desert and Sphere of Influence. Existing facilities
and distribution lines are located throughout the City and remain available to business
and property-owners.
The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) is a non-profit, community-owned utility district
that serves customers in Imperial County and parts of Riverside and San Diego
counties. The IID provides electric services to a limited portion of the city and to
Bermuda Dunes and the portion of the SOI north of the I-10. IID facilities in the city
and SOI include 230 kv, 161 kv, and 92 kv transmission lines, as well as 34.5 kv and 12
kv distribution lines. The IID operates several substations, all outside of the city and
SOI north of Interstate 10. The IID obtains its power from a combination of
hydroelectric, diesel, thermal, and geothermal generation sources.
Climate change is a threat to the health and safety of Palm Desert residents, as well as
those in other parts of the region, state, and globe. Concerned about the impact of
climate change, California has adopted a wide variety of legislation and policies aimed
at reducing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. These include the California Global
Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32), which requires state-wide climate planning; SB
375, which requires and encourages sustainable land use and transportation patterns
at the regional and local level; and various actions by the state attorney general’s
office.
In 2010, Palm Desert City Council approved the City’s Environmental Sustainability
Plan and Greenhouse Gas Inventory and formed a citizen’s sustainability committee to
act as an advisory and consulting board regarding the management and conservation
of Palm Desert natural resources. The Citizen’s Sustainability Committee is a
conglomerate of industry professionals that reviews proposals, offers feedback, and
helps develop appropriate policies that help meet the City’s goals. The six resource
areas covered include the built environment, energy management, materials
management, regional air quality, transportation resources, and water management.
Potable and non-potable water is provided to the city by the Coachella Valley Water
District (CVWD). Water demand in Palm Desert and the surrounding regions is
supplied by several sources including: groundwater, surface water from local streams,
imported water from the State Water Project (SWP) and the Colorado River by way of
the Coachella Canal, and recycled water.
Natural sources of groundwater recharge come from runoff and infiltration from the
San Bernardino, San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains, as well as inflow from other
subbasins to the west.
Desert water supply is strained by heavy
pumping
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Wastewater and sewage collection and treatment
services are also provided by the CVWD. The only
outlets for groundwater in the Coachella Valley are
through subsurface outflow under the Salton Sea or
through collection in drains and transport to the
Salton Sea via the Coachella Valley Storm Channel
(CVSC). There are five stormwater channels in the
city: Whitewater River Stormwater Channel, and its
tributaries: Dead Indian Creek, the Deep Canyon Channel, the Palm Valley System, and
the East Magnesia Channel.
1.1 Stormwater infrastructure for new development. Require development
projects pay for their share of new stormwater infrastructure or
improvements necessitated by that development (regional shallow
groundwater).
1.2 On-site stormwater retention and infiltration. Whenever possible,
stormwater shall be infiltrated, evapotranspirated, reused or treated on-
site in other ways that improve stormwater quality and reduce flows into
the storm drain system.
1.3 Groundwater infiltration. Encourage the use of above-ground and natural
stormwater facilities in new development and redevelopment, such as
vegetated swales and permeable paving .
1.4 Stormwater re-use and recycling. Encourage innovative ways of capturing
and reusing stormwater for non-drinking purposes to reduce the use of
potable drinking water.
1.5 Recycled water. Work with the CVWD to encourage existing golf courses
to connect to its recycled water system.
1.6 Collaborative stormwater management. Encourage collaborative,
integrated stormwater management between multiple property owners
and sites.
1.7 Low impact development. Require the use of low-impact development
strategies to minimize urban run-off, increase site infiltration, manage
stormwater and recharge groundwater supplies.
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1.8 Green infrastructure in public rights-of-way. Encourage green streets
with in-street bio-retention and other forms of stormwater retention and
infiltration in streets and public rights-of-way.
1.9 Regional and local collaboration. Collaborate with Thousand Palms,
Rancho Mirage, Cahuilla Hills, Bermuda Dunes, and agencies in the
watershed to reduce and remove contaminants from stormwater runoff.
1.10 Stormwater in urban context. Development projects shall incorporate
stormwater management into landscaping, except in downtown
designations where catch basins shall be prohibited.
1.11 Water quality detention basins. Require water detention basins to be
aesthetically pleasing and to serve recreational purposes, such as in the
form of a mini park. Detention basins designed for active uses are
intended to supplement park and open space and should not be counted
towards a developer’s minimum park requirements, unless otherwise
determined by the Planning Commission or City Council.
1.12 Retention Basins. Encourage storm water retention basins, especially in
the City Center Area, to be underground in future development so as to
achieve the most efficient use of land and compact development and
promote the urban character goals of the General Plan.
1.13 Soil erosion. Require the prevention of water-born soil erosion from sites,
especially those undergoing grading and mining activities.
2.1 Sewer system maintenance. Work with the Coachella Valley Water
District to ensure sewers are operational and in good working order.
2.2 Sewer infrastructure for new development. Require development
projects to pay for their share of new sewer infrastructure or
improvements necessitated by that development.
2.3 Sewer connections. In the event that a sewer line exists in the right-of-
way where a lateral line connection is required to serve a lot, require a
sewer connection at the time the lot is developed.
3.1 Agency coordination. Coordinate on an ongoing basis with the Coachella
Valley Water District, and other agencies responsible for supplying water
to the region.
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3.2 Water Supply. Provide a clean, reliable citywide water supply sufficient to
serve existing and planned development.
3.3 Water infrastructure. Maintain existing water infrastructure to protect
the supply, quality, and delivery of potable water.
3.4 Water infrastructure for new development. Require development
projects to pay for their share of new water infrastructure or
improvements necessitated by that project.
3.5 Recycled Water. Expanded use of recycled water in existing and new
development.
3.6 Citywide water conservation and efficiency. Encourage and promote
community water conservation and efficiency efforts, including indoor
and outdoor efforts that exceed CalGreen requirements.
3.7 Priority infrastructure improvements. Prioritize water infrastructure
improvements in areas with failing, insufficient or end of useful life
infrastructure.
4.1 Provide waste and recycling services. Provide solid waste, recycling, and
green waste services to the community at a reasonable rate.
4.2 Zero waste government operations. Strive for zero waste government
operations, modeling best practices in solid waste management and
recycling for the rest of the community.
4.3 Waste reduction. Seek to continually reduce Palm Desert’s rate of waste
disposal per capita, and to increase the diversion rate of recycling and
green waste.
4.4 Recycled building material. Encourage the use of recycled building and
infrastructure materials in new public and private development.
4.5 Paper waste reduction. Reduce paper waste and encourage the use of
recycled paper in City operations.
4.6 Community coordination. Confer and coordinate with utility and civic
services providers in planning, designing and siting of distribution and
supporting facilities to assure the timely expansion of facilities in a
manner that minimizes environmental impacts and disturbance of
existing improvements.
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5.1 Plan for Fiber. During construction of streets, pathways, etc., and when
feasible, conduit for future fiber optic cable shall be installed.
5.2 Quality telecommunication services. Support the creation of a
broadband service throughout Palm Desert.
5.3 Telecommunication services. Power and other transmission towers,
cellular communication towers, and other viewshed intrusions shall be
designed and sited to minimize environmental and visual impacts and
environmental hazards.
5.4 Unobtrusive utility lines. Utility lines on streets and roadways shall be
designed, sited, and retrofitted to assure minimal environmental and
visual impacts and environmental hazards.
5.5 Community Utility Undergrounding. Continue assistance in formation of
assessment districts to facilitate complete community undergrounding of
all utility distribution lines.
6.1 Future demand. Cooperate and coordinate with the Desert Sands and
Palm Springs Unified School Districts and state agencies in identifying
potential school sites needed to meet future demand, as well as the
planning, site acquisition and development of educational facilities in the
city.
6.2 Higher education. Support and encourage well planned, higher
educational facilities in Palm Desert including satellite university
campuses and vocational training schools in medical research and
technology, particularly in the Cook Street “education corridor.”
6.3 Library space. Ensure adequate library space, services, books and other
resources are available to residents and students.
6.4 Health services. Plan and encourage health care facilities and clinics
located in close proximity to schools and public facilities.
6.5 Quality early education. Collaborate with the Desert Sands and Palm
Springs Unified School Districts and local private schools to maximize
educational quality.
6.6 Prioritize higher education. Support new University endeavors within
Palm Desert including the University of-California Riverside and San
Bernardino, College of the Desert, and Brandman University.
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7.1 Quality of service. Provide courteous, responsive, and efficient police and
fire services.
7.2 Review of new development. Work with the Riverside County Sherriff’s
Department and the Riverside County Fire Department to review and
modify development proposals to incorporate defensible space, Crime
Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), and other public
safety design concepts into new development.
7.3 Serving new growth. Expand police and fire service coverage in
conjunction with new growth to ensure quality of service does not
diminish.
7.4 Water pressure. Ensure that sufficient water service and pressure is
available throughout the city for use in firefighting.
7.5 Recycled water for fire Suppression. Consult with the CVWD to support
efforts to expand reclaimed water supply from municipal wastewater for
fire suppression needs.
7.6 Increasing fire hazards. Encourage Cal Fire and Riverside County Fire
Department to explore the trends of increasing fire hazards associated
with the drought and increasing temperatures and to develop new fire
hazard mitigation strategies.
7.7 Emergency Preparedness. Work with Riverside County Fire Department,
the Riverside County Sherriff’s Department and the Palm Desert Police
Department, along with residents to ensure that sufficient emergency
plans and resources are established and known by all stakeholders.
7.8 Fire and emergency services. Continue to coordinate with Riverside
County Fire Department to ensure continued excellent fire and
emergency services.
7.9 Police services. Work with all available resources to ensure continued
excellent and cost effective police services in Palm Desert.
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