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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bell Springs Road Water Crossings Improvement Project | 1B23122WNME | Mendocino | 39.934866°N, 123.580471°W; 39.935087°N, 123.579797°W; 39.935216°N, 123.579017°W | This Project proposes to complete road maintenance to allow access to a utility structure. Project activities would take place within the Benbow Hydrologic Subarea (HSA) within the South Fork Eel River Hydrologic Area and would include installing two, 24-inch culverts within a road-side ditch and ephemeral tributary and constructing a rock ford crossing where two ephemeral drainages meet. Temporary impacts to stream habitat would total 0.02 acres/45 linear feet and permanent impacts would total 0.008 acres/112 linear feet. Mitigation would include installing drainage features along 1800 feet of road located at 39.815587°N, 123.560391°W, roughly 8 miles from the Project site, to reduce the risk of sediment delivery to Rattlesnake Creek, a tributary within Benbow HSA. The Project would be begin as early as August 1, 2024 and would take roughly five days to complete. | 11/01/23 -11/21/23 | Shannon Strong shannon.strong@waterboards.ca.gov 707-576-2499 |
| Honeydew Bridge Replacement Project | 1B22154WNHU | Humboldt | 40.244210 / -124.124925 | The Project would replace an existing but obsolete one-lane bridge over the Mattole River with a new two-lane bridge that meets modern highway design standards, accommodates local and regional transportation needs, and provides a safe route for vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Impacts to waters of the state are both permament (0.002 acres) and temporary (2.271 acres). Permanent impacts result from new bridge pier columns. Temporary impacts are mostly from access routes and work areas. Construction would occur in 2024 and 2025. | 10/31/23 -11/20/23 | Ryan Bey Ryan.Bey@Waterboards.ca.gov 707-576-2679 |
| SMART Non-Motorized Path Segment 38 | 1B23022WNSO | Sonoma | 38.474486°N, 122.763169°W | The project will construct approximately 3 miles of paved pathway. The pathway will be 10 feet wide with two 2-foot gravel shoulders. The pathway narrows to 8 feet wide to avoid existing conditions such as trees or utility features. One free span bridge will be installed over a perennial stream. One natural bottom box culvert will be installed over an intermittent stream. One set of existing non-jurisdictional culverts will be extended, and one culvert that is hydrologically connected to jurisdictional wetlands will be extended. Approximately 345 feet of retaining walls may be elevated. The path wil cross two streets. The project was designed to avoid jurisdictional waters when possible. Four freshwater seasonal wetlands will be permanently filled totaling 0.623 acres. Portions of two unnamed intermittent streams will be permanently filled, totaling 0.008 acres. Total impacts to waters of the US and state is 0.631 acres. Compensatory mitigation for wetland loss will be provided with the purchase of wetland creation credits at a minimum ratio of 1:1 impacts to mitigation. Mitigation for riparian and stream channel impacts will be provided off site at Crane Creek Regional park and will provide a minimum of 0.236 acre of stream enhancement. The off site mitigation plan will combine riparian and stream mitigation for the SMART Path Segment 37 and 38 Projects. | 10/30/2023 - 11/19/2023 | Kaete King kaete.king@waterboards.ca.gov 707-576-2848 |
| SMART Non-Motorized Path Segment 37 | 1B23021WNSO | Sonoma | 38.463889°N, 122.740381°W | The project will construct approximately 1.2 miles of paved pathway. The pathway will be 10 feet wide with two 2-foot gravel shoulders. The pathway narrows to 8 feet wide to avoid existing conditions such as trees or utility features. Two pre-cast free span bridges will be installed over perennial streams. One set of existing non-jurisdictional culverts will be abandoned and two non-jurisdictional culvert systems will be extended. Approximately 410 linear feet of retaining walls may need to be elevated. The pathway will include three road crossings. The project was designed to avoid jurisdictional waters when possible. One 0.022 acre freshwater seasonal wetland will be be permanently filled. Shading and hardscape impacts to the riparian zone from the bridge installation totals 0.028 acre. Compensatory mitigation for wetland loss will be provided with the purchase of a minimum of 0.022 acre of wetland creation credits from a mitigation bank. Mitigation for riparian impacts will be provided off site at Crane Creek Regional Park and will provide a minimum of 0.236 acre of stream enhancement. The off site mitigation plan will combine riparian and stream mitigation for the SMART Path Segment 37 and 38 Projects. | 10/30/2023 - 11/19/2023 | Kaete King kaete.king@waterboards.ca.gov 707-576-2848 |
| We Are Up Housing Development Project | 1B23047WNHU | Humboldt | 40.933392, -124.097967 | The purpose of the Project is to offer safe housing opportunities for people with autism and other disabilities who would not otherwise be able to live on their own. The Project would consist of new infill residential development within a Housing Opportunity Zone. In addition to housing, the Project would create functional and community spaces including a greenhouse, garden space, orchard, shelters/pens for livestock, and walking trails. Wetland and streamside habitat areas near the Project would be created and enhanced. The Project would permanently impact 0.31 acres and temporarily impact 0.19 acres of wetlands. New wetlands and riparian zone enhancements would be constructed on-site to mitigate these impacts. | 10/12/2023 - 11/01/2023 | Ryan Bey, Ryan.Bey@Waterboards.ca.gov 707-576-2679 |
