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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Department of Transportation CDOT Highway 197 PM 3.2-4.0 & Highway 199 PM 20.3-26.5 Del Norte STAA Improvement Project (01-0N290) | 1A25012WNDN | Del Norte | DN-197: DN-199: |
The proposed Project will construct improvements at two locations along State Route (SR) 197 and five locations on United States (US) Highway 199 in Del Norte County to allow the reclassification of the SR 197–US 199 corridor as part of the STAA network of truck routes. These improvements include widening lanes and modifying curve geometry at identified locations to accommodate standard STAA-sized vehicles while maintaining and improving safety for the traveling public. Aquatic resources impacts include 886 LF of temporary impacts to streams, and permanent impacts of 42 LF to streams, and 0.187 acres of permanent impacts to riparian areas. Permanent impacts to streams will be offset by 115 LF of culvert upsizing credit, and mitigation for permanent riparian impacts includes riparian planting of 0.19 acres. Project construction will last for approximately three to six years, from spring 2026 through winter 2031. | April 18, 2025 through May 8, 2025 | Susan Stewart Susan.Stewart@waterboards.ca.gov 707-576-2657 |
| California Department of Transportation | 1A25027WNTR | Trinity | PM 74.72
|
The project will restore deteriorated pavement, and repair or replace guardrail, bridge approach rail, bridge deck, and drainage facilities at ten (10) jurisdictional PM locations within the overall project, which includes a total of 33 PM locations from PM 67.70 to 69.00 and PM 74.72 to T85.06. Culverts will be replaced using a cut & cover method. The project will result in temporary impacts including 0.032 acre of wetland, 427 linear feet (LF) of streams, and 0.05 acre of riparian area. Permanent impacts of 13 LF to streams will be offset by daylighting and upsizing culverts. Temporary impacts to streams will be restored at project completion, and impacts to wetlands and riparian areas will be restored by re-establishment, planting., and monitoring. The project will be in construction for approximately two years, from May 15, 2026 – October 30, 2027. | April 18, 2025 through May 8, 2025 | Susan Stewart Susan.Stewart@waterboards.ca.gov 707-576-2657 |
| Llano Road Trunk Rehabilitation Project | 1B4123WNSO | Sonoma | 38.392036°N, 122.776651°W | The project involves the rehabilitation of the existing Llano Road Trunk pipeline, which carries about two thirds of the City of Santa Rosa's wastewater to the Laguna Wastewater Treatment Plant. The project includes rehabilitation of 8,170 linear feet of the 66-inch reinforced concrete pipe and a condition assessment of existing manholes. The pipe will be rehabilitated with trenchless cured-in-place pipe lining technology. Any existing cracks will be pre-grouted to prevent leakage or frac-out of resin. An above-ground, temporary sewer bypass system made from three side-by-side 18" HDPE pipes will be constructed to allow continued flow of wastewater during the rehabilitation. A total of 0.04 acre of seasonal wetlands and seasonal wetland swales will be temporarily impacted by the project. Prior to commencement, a wetland biologist will evaluate all wetlands that will be subjected to temporary impacts and collect data related to the condition of the wetlands. At the conclusion of construction, the biologist will revisit each feature and determine if any remediation efforts are needed to return the wetland to pre-project conditions. | April 10, 2025 through May 2, 2025 | Kaete King kaete.king@waterboards.ca.gov 707-576-2848 |
| Trinity River Restoration Program – Channel Rehabilitation & Sediment Management | R1-2025-XXXX | Trinity | Approximately 40.72437° N, 122.80234° W (upstream extent); 40.76993° N, 123.12706° W (downstream extent) | The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Water Board) is proposing to continue to regulate the Bureau of Reclamation, Trinity River Restoration Program – Channel Rehabilitation and Sediment Management (Project) pursuant to Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (33 USC 1341) and the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act. On May 20, 2010, the Regional Water Board issued General Water Quality Certification R1-2010-0028 for the proposed activities, and continued regulatory coverage on May 20, 2015, and June 8, 2020, by issuing General Water Quality Certifications R1‐2015‐0028 and R1-2020-0025, respectively, for the same activities. The Regional Water Board’s file for past permitted activities contain additional project information and are available for public review by contacting Jake Shannon at Jacob.Shannon@waterboards.ca.gov or at (707) 576-2673. A virtual public workshop is scheduled for Thursday, April 10, 2025, at 5:00pm. The log-in information is: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_NzIyNTE5MTgtMjZlNy00NDM4LWEyMWUtODY4NjZjOTU5NTA2%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22fe186a25-7d49-41e6-9941-05d2281d36c1%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2278343b7b-6cb1-4d92-b991-479f84c6a506%22%7d or Dial in by phone at +1 916-562-0861,,867751073#. Regional Water Board staff will consider all written comments on the proposed permitting action received during the 45-day comment period. The comment period begins on the date of issuance of this notice and ends at 5:00 p.m. on the last day. Written comments can be submitted electronically to Northcoast@waterboards.ca.gov. | April 10, 2025 through May 25, 2025 | Jake Shannon Jacob.Shannon@waterboards.ca.gov |
| California Department of Transportation CDOT Highway 1 PM 75.0-76.3 Emergency Westport Landslide Repair Project (01-0N440) |
1B25031WNME | Mendocino | 39.61367°N, 123.78151°W |
The Project will respond to a significant and recurring slide on State Route 1 south of Westport threatening the roadway by constructing retaining walls, installing coastal rock revetment at the toe of the slope, and developing a slope dewatering strategy. Installation of a staging and turnaround area below the Blues Beach parking lot will allow trucks to transport boulders across the beach to the revetment area. A temporary stream-channel diversion will protect an intermittent stream, and a rock perimeter and silt fencing will protect the adjacent perennial stream at Chadbourne Gulch. Project implementation will result in temporary impacts of approximately 401 LF to streams and 0.864 acres to the ocean/beach due to construction access and staging. After construction all materials will be removed and the beach will be regraded. Permanent ocean impacts of approximately 2.33 acres and 1,995 LF will result due to rock revetment. Caltrans proposes to remove and re-use approximately 4.3 acres of historic aggregate road base from the decommissioned road at the Westport-Union Landing State Beach for the temporary turnaround area. Mitigation for permanent impacts to the beach would include removal of the decommissioned road followed by revegetation to restore the coastal bluffs. The Project is scheduled to start as soon as possible to reduce the water quality impact issues of significant erosion and sediment delivery along this section of the Pacific Coast. Under Title 23, California Code of Regulations, Section 3858(a): "The executive director or the executive officer with whom an application for certification is filed shall provide public notice of an application at least twenty-one (21) days before taking certification action on the application, unless the public notice requirement has been adequately satisfied by the applicant or federal agency. If the applicant or federal agency provides public notice, it shall be in a manner and to an extent fully equivalent to that normally provided by the certifying agency. If an emergency requires that certification be issued in less than 21 days, public notice shall be provided as much in advance of issuance as possible, but no later than simultaneously with issuance of certification." Due to the nature of water quality impacts associated with this emergency Project, 401 Water Quality Certification will be issued during the 21-day public comment period. Public comments will be accepted and reviewed during the entire 21-day comment period. |
April 3, 2025 through April 23, 2025 | Susan Stewart Susan.Stewart@waterboards.ca.gov 707-576-2657 |
| Fairway Lane Road Improvements Project | 1B25022WNHU | Humboldt | 40.763248°N, -124.167458°W | The primary purpose of the Project is to pave the existing 1,300-foot dirt roadway. The Project includes widening and paving Fairway Lane with asphalt concrete to a width of 20 feet over a base width of 24 feet with curbs, drain inlets, and underground utilities. The Project will permanently impact 604 linear feet (0.10 acres) of wetlands located within the roadside ditch. |
April 01 - April 22, 2025 | Maggie Teicher Margarete.Teicher@waterboards.ca.gov 707-576-2501 |
