UPDATE, May 8, 4:13 p.m.:

After more than an hour of discussion, which included the addition of some new conditions of approval by staff as well as public comments both in opposition and support, the California Coastal Commission unanimously approved the project.

In granting the Harbor District’s permit application, the commission cleared away one of the last remaining administrative hurdles for Nordic Aquafarms’ proposed fish-production factory on the Samoa Peninsula.

The coastal development permit will allow the Harbor District to upgrade its seawater intake infrastructure in Humboldt Bay, install new underground water pipelines along the bay, perform a variety of environmental mitigation activities and, eventually, withdraw up to 11.8 million gallons of water per day for tenants in the future National Marine Research and Innovation Park.

Appearing remotely, Harbor District Director of Development Rob Holmlund explained that while nearly 12 million gallons per day may sound like a lot of water, it represents just a tiny fraction — roughly 1/6,000th — of the 20 billion gallons exchanged in Humboldt Bay during each and every six-hour tidal cycle. 

In presenting the project to the commission, staff acknowledged that the water intake system will have a substantial adverse impact to marine life in the bay, sucking in tiny fish eggs, larvae and other planktonic organisms, mitigation measures can fully offset the resulting loss in productivity.

The prescribed mitigation measures include:

  • the removal of nearly 1,000 derelict, creosote-treated piles and crossbeams from an old dock in Fields Landing,
  • the eradication of an invasive species (particularly Spartina densiflora, aka European beachgrass) from salt marsh habitats around Humboldt Bay, and
  • tidal marsh restoration on district-owned property at the foot of Bay Street, on Eureka Slough.

Commissioner Mike Wilson recounted his long journey with the Harbor District’s Redwood Marine Terminal II property, including his tenure as a chair of the Harbor District’s board of commissioners, during which it was discovered that roughly 4 million gallons of toxic pulping liquor were being stored in deteriorated storage tanks at the former pulp mill site.

Wilson said that while this project will have negative impacts, that’s true of all forms of food productions and he believes that, with the mitigation measures, the benefits will ultimately outweigh the costs.

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Original post:

Computer rendering of Nordic Aquafarms’ proposed recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility slated for development on the Samoa Peninsula. | File image.



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PREVIOUSLY:

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The California Coastal Commission will hold its monthly three-day meeting up in Crescent City this week, and on Wednesday commissioners are set to consider permitting some major upgrades to old seawater intake systems located in Humboldt Bay.

The permit is being sought by the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District, but expect some Norwegians to tune in to the livestream feed. That’s because the infrastructure upgrades are necessary for the operation of Nordic Aquafarms’ planned onshore fish farm, which is slated for development on the Harbor District-owned Redwood Marine Terminal II property.

That property formerly hosted the Samoa pulp mill, which used the two seawater intake systems (called “sea chests”) to support mill operations. In order to meet the needs of future tenants, including Nordic’s $650 million recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility, the Harbor District seeks permission to eventually withdraw up to 11.8 million gallons of water per day, or 8.25 8,250 gallons per minute.

The District’s proposal also calls for refurbishing the intake structures, adding mesh screens, installing water delivery pipelines on upland portions of the project site and building supporting infrastructure needed to convey seawater to other future tenants of the property. The District’s long-term plans for the site call for development of a National Marine Research and Innovation Park.

Coastal Commission staff is recommending approval of the project, but only with a dozen special conditions, including mitigation measures to protect marine life and approval from both the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (NCRWQCB).

A staff report notes that the project would impact marine life in Humboldt Bay, which is home to a wide variety of plants and critters, including several special-status species such as longfin smelt and several types of salmon. The Harbor District’s proposed screening systems “are designed to avoid or substantially reduce impacts to these listed species,” staff says, “as the screen mesh size and the intake water velocities are expected to essentially eliminate impingement, which occurs when larger marine organisms are trapped or injured on the screens due to the velocity of the water intake.”

But the intake system would still suck in smaller organisms, including the larvae of longfin smelt, which are listed as threatened under the state Endangered Species Act. The CDFW has investigated this issue and recommends requiring the Harbor District to restore 5.89 acres of “highly productive habitat” in the Bay.

The Coastal Commission received 19 letters on the matter — some in favor of the project, some opposed. In the latter category, environmental nonprofit Humboldt Waterkeeper (formerly called Humboldt Baykeeper) raises concerns about leftover industrial contamination along the shoreline, where the Harbor District plans to construct a 4,650-foot-long pipeline trench.

Frank Egger, president of the North Coast Rivers Alliance, argues that with the billion-dollar Pacific Coast fishing industry “collapsing,” the potential for fish entrainment alone should make the project a “non-starter.” Other letters contend that Nordic’s plans and the associated environmental review have been “piecemealed” and are thus insufficient.

Several emails in support of the project highlight the value of redeveloping a brownfield site into a fish farm and aquaculture innovation center.

The Coastal Commission is scheduled to consider two other Humboldt-specific items on Wednesday. Local attorney Russell Clanton and his wife want to tear down an existing home on Stagecoach Road in Trinidad and build a larger one. And PG&E wants to inspect and repair an underground gas transmission pipeline located in the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary. Staff recommend the commission approve both, with conditions.

Meetings of the Coastal Commission can be live-streamed on cal-span.org, and anyone wishing to comment can submit a speaker request on the commission’s website.