Press release from the Hoopa Valley Tribe:

Humboldt County issued a health warning on August 20, for toxins associated with harmful blue-green algae found in the Trinity River at Kimtu Beach in Willow Creek.

The Hoopa Valley Public Utilities District (PUD) and Tribal Environmental Protection Agency (TEPA) have been conducting ongoing tests to ensure the safety of the community’s drinking water.

Tests were carried out on water both before and after processing at Hoopa’s state-of-the-art microfiltration drinking water treatment plant.

Based on today’s test results, verified by the U.S. EPA Region 9’s laboratory in Richmond, Hoopa Valley PUD’s water is completely safe. 

It’s safe for drinking, bathing, cooking, washing dishes, teeth brushing, pets, and any other household use.

There’s still a Humboldt County and Hoopa Valley Tribe health alert in effect for river water use.

HVPUD and TEPA will continue to test the water and work with outside labs to ensure the safety of the community.

Hoopa Valley Tribal Chairwoman Danielle Vigil-Masten said, “The health and safety of our community is our primary concern. We want to be sure we’re providing clean drinking water to our people and our community.”