Humboldt Bay Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning & Humboldt Bay Generating Station Construction

Location: Humboldt County, California
Client: PG&E

DZC Consulting has managed the Humboldt Bay Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning and Humboldt Bay Generating Station Construction cultural resource plan since 2010. Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) is engaged in a multi-year, multi-phase project to decommission and terminate the Nuclear Regulatory Commission license of its Humboldt Bay Nuclear & Gas Power Plant (HBPP), while simultaneously constructing the Humboldt bay Generating Station. The Project is located on the PG&E Humboldt Bay Campus within the boundary of the HBPP, and adjacent to the Humboldt Bay Generating Station. Together the two facilities occupied the 5.4-acre Campus within a 143-acre parcel on Buhne Point in the town of King Salmon, Humboldt County, California. Ongoing project efforts include the demolition and removal of utilities and building foundations, fossil fuel and nuclear energy generating units, soil remediation, utility upgrades, and wetland restoration.

Provisions for the protection of cultural resources during decommissioning were enacted in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act, a Coastal Development Permit (CDP E-09-010, 12/10/2009) issued by the California Coastal Commission, and a Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District Permit (HBHRCD A-2010-06, 10/14/2010).
Task orders have required field investigations, construction monitoring, resource documentation, and mitigation plans as well as compliance and specialized training with OSHA, PG&E, and Hazwopper clearances. Due to the length of the project and the number of different contractors involved, DZC Consulting streamlined a work package review process for PG&E that aided the multiple Project Managers in identify early on if cultural support was needed for each work package. A predictive model and definitive site map of resources and cleared areas was also created to assist in budgetting and planning for future projects. A total of seven sites have been documented within the campus ranging from precontact Lithics to farmhouse and industrial refuse. Special Condition 4 of CDP E-09-010 also required that DZC prepare an Archeological Resources Protection Plan that included cultural resources monitoring protocols, and procedures for halting construction and evaluating resources should they be discovered. Ongoing reporting has resulted in several semi-annual monitoring reports and a clear understanding of the stratigraphy at the HBPP site.

By streamlining the review process and presenting it to the California Coastal Commission, DZC saved the client thousands of dollars in blanket monitoring costs normally imposed by the CCC. CH2M Hill has annually and non-competitively selected DZC to maintain this ongoing contract.