The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (“DWP”) recently announced plans to install a power distribution station in the Marquez Knolls residential enclave of Pacific Palisades. The target location is an undeveloped lot immediately adjacent to the Marquez Charter Elementary School (“Marquez Charter”).
On February 29, 2012, DWP hosted an informational Town Hall meeting to present the proposed project, “Distribution Station 104” (“DS 104”) to the community. Although residents and Marquez Charter parents had learned about the Town Hall meeting merely days before, 200+ attended and over 2 dozen spoke out against the proposed power station as a potential environmental and health hazard. At the end of the Town Hall, the community submitted to DWP a petition with 400+ signatures to protest the proposed power station. See Tab 1 (March 8, 2012 Palisades Post article, “Marquez Residents Oppose DWP Site”; Petition “NO to Marquez Power Substation”).
What is the Proposed Project?
The proposed project is a new electrical “distribution station.” As DWP explained at the Town Hall meeting, a distribution substation is a part of the DWP’s electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system. It transforms voltage from high to low between the generating plant and the residential consumer. See Tab 2 (DWP Town Hall Meeting PowerPoint presentation, “Power System Operations” diagram).
Although specific plans and design details have yet to be publicly disclosed, informal discussions between community members and DWP suggest that the installation will comprise multiple buildings spread over a large footprint covering the entire site. The proposed power distribution station is intended to supplement the existing Distribution Station 29 in the Palisades Village. With ever-increasing energy demands, the community anticipates that the proposed power station may ultimately serve the entire greater Pacific Palisades area and beyond.
Where is the Proposed Power Station Location?
DWP has proposed the power station to be located on an undeveloped lot immediately adjacent to Marquez Charter. Specifically, the location is in the heart of Marquez Knolls, a quiet residential enclave populated by many families with young children. The proposed project site is bordered by single family homes to the south and the east, a canyon of natural vegetation to the west, and Marquez Charter to the north. The proposed site borders the entire length of the southern fence of the Marquez Charter lower playground. See Tab 3 (Google map of the proposed project site at 16931 Marquez Avenue, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272).
The proposed project site is a DWP-owned lot. The homes surrounding the lot were developed in the 1950s. DWP acquired the lot directly bordering Marquez Charter, located at 16931 Marquez Avenue, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272, by eminent domain around 1971, with no or little public input. Subsequently, a sign was erected on the property stating the site would be used for a future distributing station. At the time, DWP had indicated its intention to reserve the lot for the eventual installation of a distributing station that would serve a then-proposed residential development in the nearby Santa Monica Mountains. That development was never built and the proposed development site became part of the Santa Monica Mountains State Park. For decades thereafter, the DWP lot next to Marquez Charter remained undeveloped. Meanwhile, the surrounding residential area flourished, as did Marquez Charter next door.
Today, Marquez Charter is a California Distinguished School with an API 900+ Honor School rating. The school currently serves 600+ students, ages 4-11, from transitional- kindergarten through fifth grade. These youngsters mostly come from the Marquez Knolls, Highlands, Las Casas flats, Pacific View Estates, Castellemare, and Bienvenida Bluffs areas of Pacific Palisades. The remaining students come from other parts of Los Angeles. Marquez Charter is run by 28 teachers; 27 instructional aides and teachers assistants; 15 administrative staff; and a long list of parent volunteers. Marquez Charter is a pride of the community, and a draw to the area for many residents—both renters and homeowners alike.
Who is the “Coalition of Palisadians to Keep Marquez Charter Safe”?
The “Coalition of Palisadians to Keep Marquez Charter Safe” (a.k.a. the “Keep Marquez Safe Coalition”) is a group of Palisadian parents and community members, many of them professionals including doctors, lawyers, finance professionals and business owners, who feel strongly about keeping Marquez Charter and the surrounding area safe for students, children and everyone in the community.
We vehemently oppose the proposed power station right next to Marquez Charter.
Statement of Concerns
- The risk of explosion and fire at power substations throughout the nation is well documented. See Tab 4. They can be caused by being overloaded, equipment failure or other reasons. A potential explosion and fire at the proposed power station can easily spread to the immediately adjacent Marquez Charter. Should a fire spread during regular school hours, this would imminently endanger the lives of 600+ youngsters and nearly 100 teachers, staff and volunteers. Should a fire spread during the morning school drop-off or afternoon pick-up hours, evacuating the area would be utter chaos, considering the traffic bottleneck that tends to build up in front of the school during these times. Given the hundreds of lives at stake, the real risk of explosion and fire is unacceptable.
- Just as concerning, the proposed power station site is known to be geologically unstable and prone to landslides. Slope failure leading to structural damage can be triggered by a number of events – heavy rainfall, earthquake, etc. In turn, either can yield to dangerous fires and explosions. Some may question the probability of slope failure at a properly remediated site or structural damage to a new “state of the art” power station. Nonetheless, one cannot overlook the fact that should such an incident occur – perhaps triggered by the next big earthquake – the potential consequences could be catastrophic. Again, given the lives of 600+ youngsters and nearly 100 teachers, staff and volunteers at stake, even the slightest risk is unacceptable.
- Human health effects of electromagnetic fields (“EMF”) from power stations have been studied since the 1970s. These studies have found a consistent statistical correlation and epidemiologic evidence showing association between EMF exposure and increased instances of certain illnesses. See Tab 5. Research has also found that the closer children are to power stations, the more exposure they have. Children’s anatomy and physiology are different than that of adults. Thus, they may be particularly vulnerable to EMF health impacts. The World Health Organization has recognized the International Agency for Research on Cancer classification of extremely low frequency EMFs as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” The DWP’s own website acknowledges, “childhood studies have reported a[n] association between estimates [of EMFs] and certain types of cancer.” DWP further advises people to “limit your exposure [to]” and “increase[e] your distance from EMF sources.” Given all this, knowingly subjecting Marquez Charter School’s 600+ youngsters and nearly 100 teachers, staff and volunteers to daily EMF exposure is unconscionable.
· Traffic conditions on this stretch of Marquez Avenue are already severely stressed. During the school’s morning drop-off and pick-up times especially, the street is jammed with parked vehicles, carpool traffic, and double-parked vehicles. Should a substation emergency occur during this time, evacuating the elementary school kids and nearby residents would be chaos. Also, this stretch of Marquez is an emergency fire evacuation route. Risk of street closures due to regular maintenance or emergency activities at the substation cannot be justified. As well, given the already-stressed current traffic conditions, this stretch of Marquez cannot support the daily entourage of heavy equipment traffic that would be required for an extended construction project.
· Impacts on community disaster preparedness plans – For many local area families and other preschools/daycare facilities down the road, Marquez Charter is the designated place of reunion and emergency assistance in the event of a natural disaster. Installing a power station directly next door exemplifies poor planning. Not only would the facility itself be at risk in the event of a natural disaster, the additional traffic generated during the construction period would also make access by emergency vehicles virtually impossible.
· Air quality impacts – This includes air quality impacts from on-site construction equipment emissions (i.e., carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, PM10) and fugitive dust from dump trucks and concrete trucks traveling through the neighborhood to and from the construction site. All Marquez Charter students and neighborhood children will be subjected to such pollutants for extended periods of time over many months, even years. Consider the effects on those with asthma and other respiratory conditions as well as increased cases of childhood asthma that could potentially result.
· Noise impacts – Noise from the massive construction project as well as from the operation of the proposed power station would be highly disruptive and disturbing to the Marquez Charter students directly next door.
- Biological impacts – The proposed power station site and its adjacent canyon are home to numerous wildlife species. The biological impacts of constructing a power station here could be devastating and long-lasting.
· Impacts on Marquez Charter School – Installing the proposed power station right next to Marquez Charter will ruin the school. Those parents who have the means are already saying they will send their children to private school, and many others will do what they can to move their children to other area schools, should the station be built. If they do so, we stand to ruin a top-ranking charter school, which many have labored to make a pride of the community. This would be a monumental loss for the entire community.
· Bottom line – Our nation’s increasing energy demand is a fact, and the urgency toward renewable energy is a whole other conversation. The fact is this community can use the additional capacity. But not at the expense of a top-ranked school and its young students. Placing this risky facility next to an elementary school defies common sense. Next to Marquez Charter is clearly the worst possible choice of location.
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