Anna Jean Cummings County Park Water Line Replacement Project

Anna Jean Cummings County Park is located at 461 Soquel San Jose Road in Soquel, California (APN 030-341-09). The park is owned and operated by the County of Santa Cruz and provides a variety of recreational amenities including sports fields, playgrounds, picnic areas, restrooms, trails, open space areas, and supporting infrastructure. The park was developed in accordance with the O'Neill Ranch Master Plan and Environmental Impact Report adopted by the County to guide the long-term recreational use and management of the property. Existing utility infrastructure, including domestic water service, supports park operations and visitor-serving facilities throughout the site. The existing domestic waterline serving park facilities has experienced recurring leaks and requires frequent maintenance and repair. The leaks generally occur at intervals corresponding to individual pipe segments located beneath portions of the park entry drive, requiring excavation within paved areas to access and repair the line. To improve long-term reliability, reduce maintenance costs, reduce waste of potable water, and minimize future disruptions to park operations, the County proposes replacing an approximately 1,300-foot-long portion of the existing waterline and relocating portions of the alignment to adjacent landscaped areas where future access and maintenance can be more readily accomplished. The project consists of replacing a portion of the existing domestic water distribution system serving Anna Jean Cummings County Park with approximately 1,300 linear feet of new waterline and associated components installed within previously disturbed and developed portions of the park. The new waterline will connect to the existing system at the southern side of the athletic fields and extend west toward the restroom facility and east toward the restroom and recreational facilities adjacent to the play area. The proposed alignment relocates portions of the existing waterline from beneath the park entry drive into adjacent landscaped and maintained areas to improve accessibility for future maintenance activities, reduce the likelihood of disruptions to park operations, reduce waste of potable water, and improve the long-term reliability of the water system. Project improvements include trench excavation, installation of new waterline, and related utility infrastructure necessary to maintain water service to existing park facilities. The project also includes abandonment of the existing waterline, limited saw-cutting and restoration of sidewalks and paved surfaces where necessary, reconnection to existing facilities, and restoration of all disturbed areas following construction. All work will occur within the boundaries of Anna Jean Cummings County Park and within areas that have been previously developed, landscaped, or otherwise disturbed. The replacement waterline will serve the same park facilities and provide the same purpose and capacity as the existing system. No expansion of park facilities, recreational amenities, or utility service is proposed. No tree removal is anticipated as part of the project, and all disturbed areas will be restored following completion of construction. The project is limited to replacement of the existing domestic waterline and associated utility infrastructure and constitutes the repair, maintenance, minor alteration, and replacement of an existing public utility system involving negligible or no expansion of existing use. Accordingly, the project is exempt pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Sections 15301 (Existing Facilities) and 15302 (Replacement or Reconstruction). The project also includes minor trenching, backfilling, and restoration activities within previously disturbed areas and is therefore exempt pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15304 (Minor Alterations to Land).