Water Quality Certification Public Notices
Water Quality Certification Actions - Applicants for federal permits that involve dredge or fill activities in surface waters (including wetlands) are required to obtain certification from the state verifying that the activity will comply with state water quality standards. Most of these federal permits are referred to as 404 permits (in reference to Section 404 of the federal Clean Water Act). Applicants for some other types of federal license or permits (ex. FERC licenses) that authorize activities that may result in discharges to waters of the United States are also required to obtain state certification. This state certification is called 401 Certification (in reference to Section 401 of the Clean Water Act). In California, 401 certification actions are the responsibility of the State and Regional Water Quality Control Boards. It is the policy of this Regional Board to provide public notice of pending 401 Certification actions in order to gather comments from concerned agencies and the public. The following list contains notification of pending 401 Certification actions.
| Project Name | WDID | County | Location | Description | Comment period | Contact Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smith River Ranch Restoration Project | 1A26036WNDN | Del Norte | 41.93534 °N / -124.19545 °W | The purpose of the Project is to comply with the California Regional Water Quality Control Board North Coast Region Cleanup and Abatement Order (Order No. R1-2021-0023; and as amended R1-2024-0015 – “NCRWQCB CAO”). The Applicant developed the February 2026 Reservation Ranch Restoration Plan (Restoration Plan), which includes required corrective action activities (per the NCRWQCB CAO) and additional voluntary restoration activities. The Restoration Plan includes: (1) the removal of fill from and the restoration of seven creek/slough crossings; (2) the construction of three fish passage structures; (3) the removal of debris/junk piles, tires, and cow carcasses; and (4) a revegetation plan. The total Project size is approximately 113 acres (25,000 linear feet). |
July 15, 2026 through August 4, 2026 | Maggie Teicher Margarete.Teicher@waterboards.ca.gov 707-576-2501 |
| 2975 Calistoga Road | 1B23164WNSO | Sonoma | 38.527291 °N, 122.66152 °W | The purpose of this project is to address the unpermitted fill of aquatic resources by restoring and mitigating wetlands, streambeds/banks, and riparian areas. The project will remove significant fill material and mitigate by creating and enhancing onsite resources . Temporary impacts are approximately 0.337 acres of wetlands, 0.003 acres of riparian, 0.029 acres of stream channel. Enhancement and creation will be approximately 0.509 acres of wetlands, 0.499 acres of riparian, and 0.04 acres of stream channel. The project is located within tributaries of wetlands and adjacent to Mark West Creek, Sonoma County. The project will begin to be implemented within the sumer and fall seasons of 2026. | July 8, 2026 - July 29, 2026 | Emma Tracy, Emma.Tracy@Waterboards.ca.gov 707-576-2834 |
