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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redwoods Rising - Greater Mill Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project | 1A190068WNDN | Del Norte | 41.728869° N, 124.107820° W | The purpose of the Greater Mill Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project is to rehabilitate the Greater Mill Creek area and restore ecosystem processes that have been degraded by historical land use, including intensive forest management. Rehabilitation would be accomplished through reducing stand density and shifting species composition to promote growth of remaining trees and understory vegetation and development of multi-story canopy; maintaining sensitive plant communities; managing invasive species and pathogens; reducing erosion and sedimentation into streams; restoring in-stream habitat complexity; and managing vegetation within riparian corridors. These actions are needed to build resiliency through accelerating development of forest characteristics more typical of late-seral forests, reducing fire hazards and chronic sediment inputs to creeks, and enhancing habitat for aquatic and terrestrial species. | June 12 through July 2, 2026 | Jake Shannon, Jake.Shannon@Waterboards.ca.gov |
| Redwoods Rising - Greater Prairie Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project | 1B190069WNHU | Humboldt | 41.321006° N, 124.043895° W | The purpose of the Greater Prairie Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project is to rehabilitate the Greater Prairie Creek watershed and restore ecosystem processes that have been degraded by historical land use. Rehabilitation would be accomplished through thinning second-growth forests to reduce stand density and alter species composition to promote growth of remaining trees, understory vegetation, and development of multi-story canopy; removing or repairing roads to reduce the potential for erosion and sedimentation into streams; restoring instream habitat complexity; and augmenting riparian corridors by planting native vegetation. These actions are needed to accelerate development of forest characteristics more typical of late-seral forests, prevent chronic and catastrophic sediment inputs to creeks, and enhance habitat for populations of aquatic and terrestrial species. | June 12 through July 2, 2026 | Jake Shannon, Jake.Shannon@Waterboards.ca.gov |
| Brown Property - Forestville | 1B26051WNSO | Sonoma | Latitude 38.968830°N, Longitude 123.117878°W | The work is being performed in response to a notice of violation dated October 28, 2025. The purpose of this project is to perform restoration work associated with unauthorized grading in the riparian area of a watercourse, waters of the US and state, and remove and reinstall a culvert that was installed without a Regional Water Board permit. The project will involve removing fill soil within the riparian corridor, removing concrete from the riparian area, removing an undersized culvert and replacing it with a properly sized culvert, invasive plant removal from the watercourse, and then revegetating and stabilizing the site to minimize the sediment threat to the watercourse. The project will temporarily impact approximately 0.1 acres of riparian area, and 0.06 acres of stream channel and permanently impact approximately 0.009 acres of riparian area and 0.006 acres of stream channel. The project is expected to be constructed in July through September, 2026. | June 11, 2026 to July 2, 2026 | Paul Nelson 707-570-3767 paul.nelson@waterboards.ca.gov |
| Blue Lake Bar Gravel Extraction Project | 1B26049WNHU | Humboldt | 40.8749°, -124.0003° | The project would permit extraction and stockpiling of aggregate from the Blue Lake Gravel Bar along the Mad River. The proposed extraction plan would be determined annually through multiagency consultation, review, and approval. Wahlund Construction, Inc. proposes extraction of up to 50,000 cubic yards per year. Aggregate extraction would be performed consistent with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Letter of Permission and the Biological Assessment/Biological Opinion. This includes minimization measures and monitoring. Access to the extraction area would be from permanent or temporary access roads and temporary bridge crossings. Stockpiles would be removed prior to October 15th. | June 10, 2026 to July 1, 2026 | Amanda Piscitelli amanda.piscitelli@waterboards.ca.gov (707) 445-6126 |
| Weaver Creek Habitat Restoration Project | 1B26078WNTR | Trinity | 40.72278° N, 122.93836° W | The Project proposes to create new floodplain areas and instream habitat along the upper section of Weaver Creek immediately below the confluence of East and West Weaver Creeks. The Project’s goals are to significantly increase the amount of instream habitat for coho salmon that are listed as federally and state threatened; improve riparian habitat while controlling the spread of invasive plant species; and establish a topographically complex baseflow channel that continues to provide pool habitat over the low-flow summer period. Restoration features include approximately 4.6 acres of floodplain, 1.39 acres of overflow channel (including high flow swales), 0.94 acre of constructed riffle, 0.37 acre of channel fill, and 0.35 acre of low flow channel. A grade control structure of approximately 0.06 acres is also proposed at the downstream end of the project to help protect the existing water and sewer infrastructure – and therefore protect against potential sewer leakage into Weaver Ck – by encouraging deposition and avoid future incision. Invasive vegetation, which currently dominates many areas of the site, would be removed in all proposed disturbance areas. Revegetation efforts would focus on native and non-invasive species. | June 8 through June 28, 2026 | Jake Shannon, Jake.Shannon@Waterboards.ca.gov |
| Seawood Cape Preserve Campground and Public Access Project | 1B26074WNHU | Humboldt | 41.10165° N, 124.1573° W | The Seawood Cape Preserve Campground and Public Access Project includes two watercourse/wetland trail crossing upgrades. Crossing 1: A small drainage/wetland swale crosses under the Campground Loop Trail, which is currently an old logging road, via a legacy culvert that would be removed and replaced with a small bridge as a restoration action to restore a natural watercourse. Road fill would be removed and wetland vegetation replanted and allowed to colonize in the restored natural crossing under the new bridge. The construction of the trail and crossings would not impact any wetlands and has been routed to avoid wetlands. Based on the restoration of the culverted road crossing, there would be a net reduction of fill material within jurisdictional waters. Once the legacy fill is removed, the restored area would be revegetated with appropriate native wetland species. Crossing 2: The same drainage also crosses the downslope Fir Forest Trail and would be accommodated by a small bridge to avoid permanent impacts to the drainage/wetland swale. The new bridge would be approximately 16 feet long by 8 feet wide. The disturbed area would be revegetated with appropriate native wetland species. Erosion control would be applied during and post-construction. | June 8 through June 28, 2026 | Jake Shannon, Jake.Shannon@Waterboards.ca.gov |
| Eel River HDD Rio Dell Feeder Project | 1B25151WNHU | Humboldt | 40.507792 °N, 124.112369°W | The purpose of this Project is to increase the grid capacity for the City of Rio Dell. This Project would install 1,400 feet of a new 12KV line under the Eel River in Rio Dell using horizontal directional drilling (HDD) methods. Two 16 inch high-density polyethylene pipes would be drilled under the Eel River. Two 11 foot by 11 foot bell holes would be excavated, one at each end of the planned underground route. The excavated holes would be outside of the riverbank and waters of the state. Cover depth of the HDD path is anticipated to be a minimum of 50 feet beneath the river channel, reducing the likelihood of effects on the Eel River. No temporary or permanent impacts are anticipated. The proposed start date is July 2026. | June 1, 2026 to June 21, 2026 | Shannon Strong |
