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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Cap Creek Floodplain Restoration Project Phase II | 1B22113WNHU | Humboldt | 41.20965, -123.55730 | The project will restore and enhance instream and floodplain habitat along an approximately 2,800-foot reach of Red Cap Creek. It will entail the following actions:1) Install up to 15 engineered log structures (ELJ’s) and add a total of 85 large trees to the Red Cap mainstem that will either be utilized in the ELJs, or serve as individual pieces and/or placed within side channels; 2) Construct a 9,750 foot off-channel rearing pond; 3) Create two constructed gravel bars near the off-channel rearing pond where two wood structures will be installed; 4) Grade and enhance a 350-foot-long floodplain side channel to create spawning and rearing habitat for Coho Salmon; 5) Inject spawning sized gravel/cobble into the mainstem at selected locations; 6) Rearrange large boulders at previously constructed boulder weirs to create floodplain connectivity; and 7) Excavate a winter rearing alcove at bottom of disconnected large floodplain channel. | April 22 through May 12 | Jake Shannon Jacob.Shannon@Waterboards.ca.gov |
| Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge Unit 2/3 Reroute Project | 1A24042WNSI | Siskiyou | 42.0027, -121.8248 | The project will make water conveyance improvements to allow for more efficient delivery of water from the Ady Canal to the Central Canal. Project improvements will include construction of a new 32,000 linear foot long bypass canal (average bottom width of 25 feet) and associated berms (up to 6.5 feet high) designed to convey up to 200 cubic feet per second (cfs) of irrigation water. This flow rate represents the maximum volume of water that may be diverted to the LKNWR from the Ady Canal based on current water rights, anticipated future water rights (pending purchase), and drain water that may be re-routed within the irrigation system. The new bypass channel and berm would extend east from the Ady Canal to the eastern extent of Unit 1, at which point the bypass canal would be routed south under SR 161 (likely via pipelines or an open box culvert) and into a basin/ditch system in Unit 3. Another canal would be constructed from the Unit 3 basin to connect to the Central Canal. New water control infrastructure would be installed at the Ady Canal and Central Canal to allow water to be directed into and through the new bypass canal, as well as along the new berm alignment to provide a more reliable water source to managed wetlands and agricultural fields in Unit 1. Habitat features, including shallow swales and depressions, would be constructed in the marginal wetland areas on the west side of Unit 1 to disperse water and improve habitat diversity. The agricultural fields on the east side of Unit 1 would be graded to improve water dispersal and drainage during the growing season. Up to 200 acres of marginal wetland habitat in Unit 1 and over 13,000 acres of managed wetlands supplied by the Central Canal would benefit from the water delivery and habitat enhancement features proposed under the project. | April 22 through May 12 | Jake Shannon Jacob.Shannon@Waterboards.ca.gov |
| Town Creek Restoration and Education Project | 1B22056WNME | Mendocino | 39.791032, -123.255347 | The primary ecological goals of the project are to restore riparian forest conditions and improve wildlife habitat along a 600-foot reach of Town Creek using willow baffles, native willow and cottonwood cuttings, and coir lifts. | April 22 through May 12 | Jake Shannon Jacob.Shannon@Waterboards.ca.gov |
| Big Meadows Restoration Project Phase 2 | 1A24037WNSI | Siskiyou | 41.584728, -123.046618 | The goals of the Project are to restore meadow habitat for the Endangered Franklin’s bumble bee, improve water quality and flows for the Threatened Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast (SONCC) Coho salmon, and restore and conserve rare and declining aspen forest habitat. The Project is the second phase of a two-phase restoration project. To achieve these goals this project will construct 25 acres of wildlife friendly fence to exclude cattle from and allow for the passive restoration of the wet meadows and aspen stands. Low tech process-based techniques, including stacking slash and on-site materials like sod and stones into degraded gullies, and construction of beaver dam analogs and post assisted log structures in the creeks, will arrest hydrological degradation and encourage aggradation, allowing increased ground water storage and improved downstream water quality. | April 22 through May 12 | Jake Shannon Jacob.Shannon@Waterboards.ca.gov |
| Main Street Bridge over Dutch Bill Creek - Maintenance Repair Project | 1B24039WNSO | Sonoma | 38.27546 °N, 123.00343 °W | The purpose of this Project is to structurally repair the bridge and reopen both lanes to the public. The Project involves removal of the damaged concrete column and construction of two new concrete piles that will be connected with a pile cap. If surface water is present within the channel at the time of construction, a dewatering plan will be followed, including placement of a temporary gravel work pad for access to the piles and a qualified biologist present to relocated any aquatic species present. The Project will temporarily impact 100 sq. ft of riparian area and permanently impact 0.7 sq. ft of stream channel. Temporary access areas will be restored to previous conditions and permanent impacts from the new piles will be mitigated with 2 sq. ft. of riparian plantings. The work is anticipated to take place July, 2024, and last 45 days. | April 17, 2024 through May 7, 2024 | Emma Tracy Emma.Tracy@Waterboards.ca.gov 707-576-2834 |
| North Coast Trails Project | 1B24016WNSO | Sonoma | 38.466558 °N, 123.00968 °W | The purpose of this Project is to construct two separate segments of the California Coastal Trail: the first segment is a 0.9 mile long Stewarts Point Trail, the second being 1.1 mile Kashia Coastal Reserve Trail. The Project consists of trail construction with surface drainage and wetland crossing features, staging areas, fencing, restroom and site amenities. Drainage features and crossings include drainage lens', armored crossings, clearspan bridges, and puncheon bridges. The trail alignment avoids and minimizes potential impacts to streams and seasonal wetlands on the site. Best Management Practices, such as ESA fencing around wetlands will be used during construction. The Project will permanently impact 527 SF, 86 LF of wetlands and 135 SF, 86 LF of stream channel. The Project will temporarily impact 1,400 SF, 86 LF of wetlands and 420 SF, 165 LF of stream channel. Mitigation for permanent impacts includes creation of 2,600 SF of wetlands and 280 LF of riparian enhancement. Work will occur in the dry season of 2024 and 2025. | April 12, 2024 through May 3, 2024 | Emma Tracy Emma.Tracy@Waterboards.ca.gov 707-576-2834 |
