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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VanAuken Creek Habitat Enhancement Project | 1B26065WNHU | Humboldt | 40.051894° N, 123.956686° W | This Project seeks to improve habitat for coho salmon and steelhead trout in Vanauken Creek, an important salmon bearing tributary in the Mattole River headwaters, by addressing the limiting factors of low summer stream flows, poor summer rearing habitat, and lack of winter refuge habitat. The primary objectives of the Project are instream and floodplain habitat enhancement, streamflow enhancement, and forest thinning and riparian habitat enhancement. The Project will enhance instream and floodplain habitat by raising the stream bed to engage with the floodplain, increasing pool depth, and adding instream habitat complexity through wood placement. The large wood structures will be non-engineered and are designed to enhance summer and winter habitat, reduce channel incision, and improve sorting and retention of gravel. Log and boulder weirs are designed to improve floodplain connectivity and increase habitat complexity. Subsurface clay barriers will be constructed in tandem with log weirs and are intended to slow the flow of shallow groundwater and hyporheic flow. Strategic grading will help to reduce channel incision and lower adjacent floodplain elevations. Log weirs with sub-surface clay barriers will encourage higher water table and increased channel complexity. Enhancement of the riparian ecosystem is expected, with increased diversity and abundance of riparian plants, in response to the higher water table. The project is designed to restore natural processes over the long-term, promoting the formation of a complex meandering stream and wetlands. The full project description is available upon request. | May 22 through June 11, 2026 | Jake Shannon, Jake.Shannon@Waterboards.ca.gov (707) 576-2673 |
| McKinney Post-Fire Restoration Project at McConnell Bar and Humbug Creek | TBD | Siskiyou | 41.841339° N, 122.672315° W | This project proposes in-stream and floodplain habitat enhancements. Restoration activities will be implemented to provide habitat complexity, provide refuge for fish during high flows, improve hydrologic and hydraulic diversity and complexity, and enhance sediment sorting processes that are critical for all life stages of fish and other aquatic species in the Klamath River system. Proposed activities include: Reconnect the floodplain to increase viable juvenile rearing habitat; Remove McKinney Fire floods-caused debris, fine sediments and refuse in the Humbug Creek confluence area and on the McConnell Bar elevated floodplain where materials from the fire were deposited; Realign the Humbug Creek channel from below the bridge to the confluence, and install habitat features in the creek; Excavate to reconnect historic channels in the greater floodplain of the Klamath River to enhance sinuosity and channel length, and to promote habitat complexity (construct meander; construct 50/50 split flow channel; open disconnected side channel, and create pool (backwater alcove)); Remove an upstream embankment (likely a historical mining remnant) to eliminate an unnatural constriction and lessen the velocity; Divert flows temporarily from the work areas to prevent excess turbidity; Install features such as gravel, and large wood (structured log jams) to improve spawning and rearing conditions; and Remove invasive plant species during construction and salvage onsite native vegetation (such as willow bundles) to be replanted post-construction along with additional native plant seeds and other propagules to both stabilize the site and enhance riparian areas. | May 22 through June 11, 2026 | Jake Shannon, Jake.Shannon@Waterboards.ca.gov (707) 576-2673 |
| Crescent City Harbor District – Citizens Dock and Seawall Replacement Project | 1A26066WNDN | Del Norte | 41.4522 ° N, -124.1059 ° W | The Project purpose is to replace the aging and damaged Citizens dock and seawall in Crescent City Harbor. The existing 33,900 square feet Citizens dock and 804 13-inch-diameter creosote-treated timber piles will be removed. Two new piers (totaling 33,900 square feet) will be constructed. Nine existing structures located on the dock (shacks, ice storage, fuel station, NOAA tidal gage, and mechanical hoists) and all utilities will be incorporated into the new pier decking. A new 360 foot long steel sheet pile bulkhead (seawall) will be installed approximately 10 feet waterward of the existing deteriorated steel sheet pile seawall. The Project will permanently impact 3,800 square feet (0.09 acres) of waters of the state (benthic habitat) to constructed the new seawall. The Project will temporarily disturb approximately 740 square feet (0.20 acres) of waters of the state to remove the existing dock and construct the new piers. To provide compensatory mitigation for permanent impacts of the Project, additional benthic and water column habitat will be created by increasing the size of an existing small boat harbor by 3,800 square feet. In addition, 804 13-inch-diameter creosote-treated piles (394 net piles after installation of 410 new piles) will be removed, which will provide benefits to existing benthic habitat and water column habitat by reducing toxicity potential. |
May 21, 2026 through June 10, 2026 | Maggie Teicher Margarete.Teicher@waterboards.ca.gov 707-576-2501 |
| Ken Wilson Property | 1B24168WNSO | Sonoma | 38.801676 ° N, 122.942504 ° W | The purpose of the Project is to restore and mitigate the unpermitted impacts to wetlands and stream channels of a previously issued violation. The Project will restore 0.189 acres of wetland , create 0.378 acres of wetland, install two appropriately sized culverts, and enhance 0.03 acres of riparian area. Permanent impacts include 0.01 acres of stream channel for culvert installation. Project implementation is proposed to begin in summer 2026 and be completed by October 15, 2026. | May 14, 2026 - June 4, 2026 | Emma Tracy, Emma.Tracy@Waterboards.ca.gov 707-576-2834 |
| Lower French Creek Sediment Reduction and Fish Passage Improvement Project | 1A26052WNSI | Siskiyou | 41.414167, -122.853611 | Primary project objectives of the Project are to improve fish passage by increasing the depth and velocity within the low flow channel to flush sediment through the project reach by installing 5 to 6 large woody structures and grading to excavate 1,760 cubic yards of material from the channel onto the floodplain. Live willow stake will be planted within 16 linear trenched within the adjacent floodplain will add hydrologic roughness further contributing to a more defined channel and will improve water quality for coho salmon over time as they mature and provide shade to the creek. A gravel cattle crossing will be installed. The crossing will allow a singular path for cattle to utilize when being moved between pastures, decreasing their area of impact. This project will greatly enhance habitat on approximately 700 feet of lower French Creek for coho salmon by increasing the depth and velocity within the low flow channel to flush sediment through the project reach and creating cover and scour pools. Over time, as instream and riparian habitat develops, the project will improve water quality to the Scott River by flushing sediment and providing cold water input. The planting of willows will further enhance coho salmon habitat by providing increased shading and future wood recruitment. | May 4 through May 25, 2026 | Jake Shannon, Jake.Shannon@Waterboards.ca.gov (707) 576-2673 |
