Will the project affect air quality?

The project has been found by the Bay Area Quality Management District to have no significant adverse impact on air quality. The advanced design of the combustion turbine and emission control technology mitigates air emission impacts. Additionally, air emission reduction credits from the region have more than offset emissions from the facility. The facility will further improve air quality by displacing generation from older, less-competitive plants in the region that have higher emission rates.

Will the project affect water quality?

The project will improve the water quality of the South Bay. San Jose is presently under order from the Regional Water Quality Control Board to reduce the amount of wastewater that flows from the City into San Francisco Bay each day. By using recycled wastewater as part of the cooling process, the Metcalf Energy Center will prevent millions of gallons of wastewater a day from flowing into the Bay and will help San Jose come into compliance with the Water Board's mandate. No water from the plant will go into Fisher Creek, and all plant wastewater will go into city sewers.

Since the facility uses recycled water in the cooling process, won't it emit odors?

No. Recycled water is treated by the city to be safe and free from odor. Further, recycled water is presently used for watering landscapes, agriculture and in cooling towers across the country and in Santa Clara County without emitting odors. There will be no odors from the recycled water at this facility either.

What is Calpine doing to minimize the visual impact of the facility?

The facility is screened from view by attractive landscaping and by the local foothills. Furthermore, Calpine designed the project so that it will be consistent with the character of the new campus industrial park to be built to the south in Coyote Valley. Calpine worked closely with community residents, developers and government officials to refine our design so that it best serves the community's interests.

Is there a typical steam plume?

In modern power plant construction, the water vapor normally rising above the cooling towers or stacks is called a "plume". The Metcalf Energy Center will include "plume abatement" technology in the project design in order to meet the high visual standards proposed for North Coyote Valley. The system is designed to prevent prominent plumes during normal weather conditions year-round when equipment is in normal operation.

Is noise from the facility be noticeable?

The facility will be built using extensive noise reduction technology. During the quietest hours of the night, the facility will operate with noise levels at the nearest residence (a farmhouse on adjacent property south of the proposed site) that will be barely noticeable. During the day, traffic noise from Monterey Road and Highway 101 will be far louder than noise from the facility.

Does the project impact traffic congestion?

No. With a total of only 20 full-time employees working over multiple shifts, the Metcalf Energy Center will have no significant impact on current traffic patterns. The primary access route is from Monterey Road.

Did the project adversely impact sensitive biological resources?

No. Nearby Fisher Creek was improved and protected, as will the hillside habitat of the Bay Checkerspot Butterfly, Opler's longhorn moth, the burrowing owl, the Metcalf Canyon jewel-flower, the Santa Clara Valley dudleya and other native flora and fauna. Calpine planted up to four mature trees for every tree that was removed to build the facility.