SITE INFORMATION AND CORRESPONDENCE

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5.13 VISUAL RESOURCES to the south of the project site. Eight Mile Road,which intersects with I-5 approximately 2 miles south of the project site,provides access to the golf course,and forms the northern urban edge of Stockton. Population density near the project site is low,with fewer than ten residences within 1 mile of the proposed LEC site. A small number of homes are west of the project site,beyond the WSWA. Other residences near the site are concentrated in the land to the northeast, either in small clusters of four to five homes that border existing roads or in scattered ranch-style homes on larger parcels associated with agricultural uses. The nearest higher-density residential area is the series of subdivisions along the southern edge of Eight Mile Road, approximately 2 miles away from the project site and within the Stockton city limits. There are no officially designated or eligible State Scenic Highways in the vicinity of the project site. The segments of 1-5 and Eight Mile Road that pass through the project area are identified in the San Joaquin County General Plan as Scenic Routes. 5.13.1.2 Project Site and Linear Routes The LEC site is a 4.4-acre parcel, set within a 1,040-acre parcel owned by and incorporated in the City of Lodi. The area immediately surrounding the LEC site is industrial in character. An existing NCPA power plant is immediately adjacent to the west of the LEC site and the WPCF is immediately adjacent to the east. The existing NCPA power plant is a 49 MW steam injected facility. The tallest element of the STIG plant is the exhaust stack,which is approximately 92 feet tall. Buildings,tanks, and other structures associated with the STIG plant are generally between 30 and 40 feet in height. The facility includes exposed pipelines and is surrounded by a fence,further contributing to its overall industrial appearance. The WPCF consists of a cluster of relatively low-lying structures, as well as treatment and holding ponds to the north of both the WPCF and LEC site. The project site is accessed via North Thornton Road,west of I-5. The driveway to the LEC site (North Cord Road) also provides access to the WPCF and STIG plant.West of the STIG plant, the North Cord Road is unpaved and serves as access to the middle section of the WSWA and,beyond,the main channel of White Slough. With the exception of a small cooling tower,which would be moved as part of the proposed project,the LEC site is currently used for equipment storage by the WPCF. However,the facility will utilize nearby infrastructure and utility corridors for most of its linear route requirements. Specifically,the facility will tie in to the existing 230-kilovolt (kV) switchyard adjacent to the STIG plant. The facility will connect with the WPCF for supplies of recycled water for cooling through an existing utility corridor linking the power plant and wastewater treatment plant. The facility's sanitary sewer connection will also run in this existing utility corridor. Potable water for the facility will be provided by a new onsite well. A new gas pipeline will be constructed for the LEC,as the new facility will connect with the PG&E high-pressure natural gas pipeline #108,which is 2.5 miles to the east. The entire pipeline,which is the only linear appurtenance proposed to extend beyond the immediate vicinity of the project site,will be constructed below ground and will be adjacent to the existing natural gas pipeline for the STIG plant. 5.13-2 SAC/371322/082350001(LEC_5.13_VISUAL.DOC)