SUBJECT: Notice of Public Workshop for Proposed Changes to Rule 414 – Natural Gas-Fired Water Heaters
| Date | Wednesday, December 16, 2009 |
| Time | 2:00 p.m. |
| Location | Sacramento Metropolitan AQMD, 777 12th Street, 3rd Floor, Sacramento, CA |
The Staff of the Sacramento Metropolitan AQMD will conduct a public workshop to discuss proposed changes to Rule 414 – Natural Gas-Fired Water Heaters. Rule 414 contains requirements and emission standards for new natural gas-fired water heaters rated less than 75,000 Btu/hr that are distributed, sold, or installed within Sacramento County.
Staff is proposing amendments to expand the applicability of Rule 414 to include standards and requirements for water heaters, boilers and process heaters rated between 75,000 and 1,000,000 Btu/hr, which were previously unregulated. In addition, the amendments would also expand the applicability to units fueled by gaseous and nongaseous fuels other than natural gas (excluding units fueled by liquid petroleum gas). Staff is proposing emission limits for new units that are already adopted by the South Coast Air Quality Management District and three other California districts for natural gas-fired units. New units rated less than 75,000 Btu per hour (excluding those used for mobile homes) will have to meet a NOx limit of 10 ng/J (15 ppmv at 3% O2) six months after adoption. New units rated greater than or equal to 75,000 Btu/hr and less than 400,000 Btu/hr must meet a NOx limit of 40 ng/J (55 ppmv at 3% O2) six months after rule adoption and a NOx standard of 14 ng/J (20 ppmv at 3% O2) by January 1, 2013 (excluding spa/pool heaters). Finally, new units rated greater than or equal to 400,000 Btu/hr and less than 1,000,000 Btu/hr must meet a NOx limit of 14 ng/J (20 ppmv at 3% O2) and a CO limit of 400 ppmv at 3% O2 six months after adoption.
NOTE: Staff is seeking input from manufacturers, distributors, or other interested parties on the feasibility of a 6 month time period to allow for inventory turnover of non-compliant units and their replacement with compliant units before the new standards come into effect.
Staff finds that the proposed amendments are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as an action by a regulatory agency for protection of the environment (Class 8 Categorical Exemption, Section 15308 State CEQA Guidelines) and because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity may have a significant adverse effect on the environment (Section 15061(b)(3), State CEQA Guidelines).
Documents:
- Proposed Rule (PDF)
- Staff Report (PDF)
Hard copies of the rule and the staff report will be provided upon request (916) 874-4800. Please direct your written comments on these rules to: Sacramento Metropolitan AQMD, 777 12th Street, 3rd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814, Attention: Joe Carle (916) 874-4838. You can also submit your comments electronically via e-mail to jcarle@airquality.org.
