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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point Arena Pier and Maintenance Project | 1B26080WMNE | Mendocino | 38.914639 N, 123.710936 W | The purpose of the project is to conduct repairs and maintenance on the Point Arena cove pier to extend the life of the pier. The pier deck will be resurfaced with asphalt and receive striping for two-way traffic. Curbs will be repaired and replaced and new railings will be installed. Two ladders will be removed on the south side of the pier and four new ladders will be installed (two on the east end and two on the west end). Removable bollards will be installed at the east and west ends of the pier. Trash enclosures will be replaced. New signage and a skiff storage structure will be installed. A shed will be removed and be replaced with ADA fishing area. Plumbing and electrical for the bathrooms, hoist, Harbormasters office, mechanical room, and pier lighting will be repaired and/or replaced. Additional maintenance will occur on the Harbormaster's office and bathrooms. Fish cleaning stations will be upgraded and a new ADA station installed. A void created by wave action on the underside of the access ramp will be filled with shotcrete. The pier structure will have concrete deck panels repaired and replaced. Additionally, 13 piles will be replaced. To ensure the piles are protected for the longterm, 17 fiberglass jackets will be wrapped around all of the the piles and 3-foot tall steel pile protectors will be placed around the base of all piles . Pre-existing cobble from the ocean floor will be used to backfill the space between the fiberglass jackets and steel pile protectors. Total temporary impacts to the Cove are 44.12 sq. ft. (0.001 acres). No mitigation is required for temporary impacts. The project is expected to be implemented July-October 2028. | September 3 - September 23, 2026 | Britney Newby britney.newby@waterboards.ca.gov (707) 576-6747 |
| California Department of Transportation CDOT Westport Culverts, EA: 01-0K170 (01-0K170 ) |
1B26081WNME | Mendocino | 39.659255°N, 123.785181°W |
The project will replace four (4) damaged culverts and add scour protection at the outlets to reduce roadway flooding and embankment erosion. The project will result in 23 linear feet (LF) of permanent impacts and 332.5 LF of temporary impacts to streams. As many as seven (7) riparian trees will be removed for access and there will be approximately 0.0723 acre of temporary impacts and 0.0015 acre permanent impacts to riparian resources. Culvert replacement will include daylighting or upsizing approximately 94.05 LF of culvert and 0.089 acre of riparian area will be replanted. The work is anticipated to occur over 40 working days within the 2027 construction season | September 1, 2026 through September 21, 2026 | Susan Stewart Susan.Stewart@waterboards.ca.gov 707-576-2657 |
| R-2071 L-021E MP 97.26-97.35 Feliz Creek Crossing Replace Pipe | 1B26070WNME | Mendocino | Latitude 38.968830°N, Longitude 123.117878°W | The purpose of this project is to stabilize the south bank of Feliz Creek from additional erosion and to protect two gas pipelines where they are currently exposed from risk of damage from hydraulic forces and debris impact. In addition, the proposed reinforcement will protect the bridge abutments from further erosion. The proposed work includes using rock slope protection (RSP) and engineered fill to cover and protect the gas lines. The Project will temporarily impact approximately 0.19 acres of riparian area and creek channel and permanently impact approximately 10,324 square feet (0.24 acres) of creek channel and bank from the RSP. Riparian and channel bank plantings of native trees will help soften the RSP and mitigate the impacts associated with the RSP. The work is expected to take place during the Summer and Fall of 2026. | August 12, 2026 to September 2, 2026 | Paul Nelson paul.nelson@waterboards.ca.gov 707-570-3767 |
