An ambitious 984-acre project to address historic flooding issues in the Elk River system and restore the area for fish cleared a hurdle Thursday night at a Humboldt County Planning Commission meeting.

The first phase of work aims to replace dysfunctional tidal infrastructure in an area that’s been partially reclaimed by saltwater, and restore habitat in part of the valley that has existed as ranchland for decades.

Commissioners approved a conditional use permit from CalTrout and partners unanimously Thursday night, with one absence.

“I like this project,” remarked Commissioner Iver Skavdal. 

He pointed to the Elk River Estuary Restoration Project plans for restoration, nuisance flooding control, adding new public access to the area and the support of the area’s 13 property owners.

Photo: Humboldt County Planning

In a presentation, Humboldt County planner Andrew Whitney said the Elk River is the largest tributary to Humboldt Bay, and one of the largest intact estuary habitats in the state. 

“The project is essentially a large ecosystem-wide restoration project of the Elk River estuary,” said Whitney, adding that the project aims to restore portions of the estuary and surrounding lands to conditions that resemble those before settlement.

The valley has a long history of human habitation, with a historic Wiyot village at the mouth nearby.

But after white settlement, dairy farmers dug straight drainage ditches to get water off the lands. Ditches and culverts that manage the water have since become silted up, with help from muddy runoff from the historic logging industry and willow trees trapping sediment.

Plus, sea level rise is reclaiming land with saltwater, turning green pastures back to a kind of wetland.

These conditions have caused farmlands and nearby roads to be subject to nuisance flooding.

Darren Mierau, North Coast Director of environmental organization California Trout, said during a presentation the project’s been conceptualized for over 12 years. It has involved sediment studies, outreach to property owners, work with the water board and efforts to obtain grant funding.

He said the broad view is part of a managed retreat strategy of sea level rise — letting the sea “reclaim what we claimed,” and to enhance the adaptive capacity of the land.

The plan also aims to protect remaining viable agricultural lands and community infrastructure, like roads, waterlines and utilities.

There’s 43 parcels in this phase — some will be entirely reworked, like adding new sloped “eco-levees” using sediment that now clogs channels. Habitat would be added for birds and fish. Some tributaries will be fenced off from livestock. Other parcels will stay largely the same, like agricultural land expected to be protected from saltwater inundation.

The project aims to add about a dozen new tidal gates that fish can pass through. Work to improve habitat is planned, and fences, berms and culverts will be removed.

During recent king tides, CalTrout took a photo of a flooded tide gate. Photo: CalTrout

Humboldt County planning staff were in support of approval of the permit. A concern noted by some commissioners was the loss of agricultural land, though from CalTrout’s perspective, the land has already been lost.

Commissioner Todd Fulton emphasized “once you lose ag ground, you’ll never get it back.”

County planning rules aim to prevent the loss of prime agricultural land to development. But county staff believed since the work will prevent destruction of further agricultural lands from sea level rise, the project as a whole is saving agricultural lands.

According to CalTrout, some areas that once were pasture have been gradually becoming unusable for grazing.

“The landowner that sold it to us stopped their ag use on the land over a decade ago because of the intrusion of sea water onto the property,” said Mierau, speaking of parcels by Swain Slough that will see a bundle of tidal changes.

According to a county planning staff report, 136 acres of historical agricultural land within the Coastal Zone would become a natural landscape or riparian corridor. About 51 acres of this are turning back to tidal wetlands anyway, the report said.

Fulton called for some plan to be put in place for maintenance of the tidal infrastructure, shared by other commissioners who later added a condition for a future maintenance plan to be added.

The project involves removing derelict infrastructure, including “six tide gates, 32 culverts, fences, several derelict farm buildings, sections of farm roads, portions of an abandoned gas line, a portion of an abandoned railway prism, ditches, and levees,” a county staff report said.

It also includes regrading of ditches, fixing up beds, making seasonal brackish ponds, replacing 13 tide gates with fish friendly gates, and other ecological-minded changes.

New public access points will be added. Two non-motorized boat launches are planned in Swains Slough and the mainstem Elk River, plus overlooks, new wildlife viewing platforms and trails.

The project ranges from Highway 101 to Showers Road.

A bundle of entities are involved — including individual property owners, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (which will take over a few CalTrout parcels to add to the Elk River Wildlife Area), and the Wiyot Tribe, which similarly owns a parcel of land.

The effort to restore the river includes restoration near to the Elk River’s mouth, following a 175-acre purchase of former ranch land in 2025.

According to the staff report, the timeline of the project is up to ten years and will be dependent on the applicant’s ability to secure funding. CalTrout hopes to begin construction in the summer of 2026, using funding from the NOAA coastal zone program. 

A Coastal Commission permit is required.

The commissioners approved the first phase of the project. According to CalTrout, the organization is proceeding into the next planning area upriver.