Meeting Announcement

9:00 a.m., Thursday, February 8, 2024
Regional Water Quality Control Board
David C. Joseph Room
5550 Skylane Blvd., Suite A
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
and via Video and Teleconference

As authorized by Government Code Section 11123.2 a majority of Regional Water Board members will be physically present at the noticed meeting location.

Meetings of the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board include a physical meeting location open to the public and options for teleconference participation and viewing by webcast. Opportunities for public participation:

  • Members of the public may join the Board Members at the noticed, physical location (above). For those who wish to comment on an agenda item in-person at the physical meeting location, please complete a pink speaker card located on the handout table at the time of arrival and give to the Board Clerk.
  • For those who wish to comment on an agenda item from a remote location, please complete the virtual speaker card. Virtual commenters will not be allowed to share their screen. If your comments will incorporate visual aids, these materials must be emailed to Deidre Wilkerson no later than noon on the day before the meeting.
  • For those who only wish to watch the meeting, the customary webcast remains available at Cal-Span and should be used UNLESS you intend to comment.

Supporting documents for agenda items are posted on our website at least 10 days prior to the scheduled meeting. To view or download documents, go to North Coast Water Board (https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/northcoast/board_info/board_meetings/).

Except for items designated as time certain, there are no set times for agenda items. Items may be taken out of order at the discretion of the Chair. Agenda items are subject to postponement. You may contact the designated staff contact person in advance of the meeting day for information on the status of any agenda item.

Thursday, February 8, 2024 – 9:00 a.m.

i. Pledge of Allegiance

ii. Roll Call and Introductions

iii. Board Member Reports and Ex Parte Communication Disclosure. This item is for Board discussion only. No public testimony will be allowed, and the Board will take no formal action.

iv. State Board Liaison’s and Executive Officer’s Reports: These items are for Board discussion only. No public testimony will be allowed, and the Board will take no formal action.

v. Board Chair’s Report: No public testimony will be allowed, and the Board will take no formal action.

vi. Public Forum: Time will be reserved for the general public to address the Board on any matter within the Board’s jurisdiction, excluding those items on the agenda. The Board Chair may limit the public forum to thirty (30) minutes initially and continue any remaining appearances beyond the thirty (30) minutes at the end of the regularly scheduled business of the day. The Board Chair requests that each person addressing the Board limit their presentation to five (5) minutes.

1. Election of Board Officers

2. Presentation of Executive Officer’s 2023 Water Quality Stewardship Award (Valerie Quinto)

3. Approval of Meeting Minutes: December 12-13, 2023

Uncontested Items

Uncontested items may be removed at the request of any Board member or person. If an item is removed from the uncontested calendar for discussion, it will only be voted on at this meeting if no significant changes are made to the agenda item. Otherwise, the item will be continued to a subsequent board meeting to allow input from interested persons.

4. Public Hearing to consider adoption of Proposed Order No. R1-2024-0003, General Waste Discharge Requirements and General Water Quality Certification for the Mendocino County Permit Coordination Program, and the associated Monitoring and Reporting Program (Jake Shannon)

5. Public Hearing on Order No. R1-2024-0005 to consider adoption of proposed Waste Discharge Requirements for Willow Creek Community Services District Wastewater Treatment Facility, WDID. No. 1B1410RHUM (Mike Reese)

Action Items

6. Public Hearing on Order No. R1-2024-0001 to consider the adoption of proposed Waste Discharge Requirements for Specific Types of Forest Management Activities On Non-Federal Lands in the North Coast Region (Justin Fitt)

Information Items

7. Executive Officer’s Report (Valerie Quinto)

8.Board Member Requests for Future Agenda Items and Other Items of Interest (Valerie Quinto)

 

Closed Session

9. The Board may meet in closed session to:

  1. Consider evidence received in an adjudicatory hearing and deliberate on a decision to be reached based on that evidence (Gov. Code, §11126, subd. (c)(3));
  2. Consider the appointment, employment, evaluation of performance, or dismissal of a public employee or to hear complaints or charges brought against a public employee (Gov. Code, § 11126, subd. (a)(1));
  3. Discuss whether to initiate litigation (Gov. Code, § 11126, subd. (e)(2)(C)(i)); and
  4. Discuss significant exposure to litigation or initiated litigation in the following matters (Gov. Code, § 11126, subd.(e)); (Gov. Code § 11126, subd. (e)(2)(B)(i)):
    1. Humboldt Redwood Company LLC v. North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board; State Water Resources Control Board, Petition for Writ of Mandate and Complaint; Humboldt County Superior Court, Case No. CV 1901082 (Nov. 18, 2019.)
    2. People of the State of California, Ex. Rel. The Regional Water Quality Control Board, North Coast Region v. Independence Corporate Offices, Inc., a California Corporation; Clay Tucker, an individual; Rincon Land Holdings LLC, an Arizona Corporation and Does 1-50 Inclusive (September 11, 2017) Trinity County Superior Court, Case No. SCV-17CV066.
    3. Green Diamond Resource Company v. North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board; State Water Resources Control Board Real Party in Interest, Petition for Writ of Mandate and Complaint; Humboldt County Superior Court, Case No. CV 2000678 (July 8, 2020.)
    4. People of the State of California, Ex. Rel. Department of Fish and Wildlife, State Water Resources Control Board, and Regional Water Quality Control Board, North Coast Region v. Shadowlight Ranch LLC; Joshua Sweet; Bohdan Curran, Individually and DBA Curran Equipment and Does 1 Through 30 inclusive, Humboldt County Superior Court Case No. CV 2001113 (October 30, 2020.)
    5. Sonoma Luxury Resort LLC v. Regional Water Quality Control Board, North Coast Region, Petition for Administrative Mandamus, SCV 268564, Sonoma County Superior Court (June 3, 2021).
    6. Humboldt Redwood Company an-d Green Diamond Resource Company v. California State Water Resources Control Board and North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, Humboldt County Superior Court, Case No. CV2000678, (September 24, 2021).
    7. State Water Resources Control Board’s Consideration of Own Motion Review Of Order No. R1-2023-0043 For Administrative Civil Liability In the Matter of Daniel Maldonado Suarez; Issued by the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. (July 18, 2023).
    8. Bareilles v. North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board et al., Sonoma County Superior Court, Case No. SCV-273798 (July 12, 2023).
    9. Ecological Rights Foundation and Humboldt Waterkeeper Petition for State Water Board Review of the North Coast Regional Water Board’s Issuance of NPDES Permit to the City of Eureka (November 2, 2023).
    10. Citizens Protecting Humboldt Bay Petition for State Water Board Review and Request for Stay of North Coast Regional Water Board’s Issuance of NPDES Permit No. R1-2023-0019, (November 6, 2023.)

    10. Arrangements for Next Meeting and Adjournment
    9:00 a.m., Thursday April 4, 2024, and
    9:00 a.m., Friday April 5, 2024
    5550 Skylane Blvd, Suite A
    Santa Rosa, CA 95403

    Procedures and Notes


    Accessibility - The facility is accessible to people with disabilities. Anyone requiring reasonable accommodation to participate in the meeting should contact Deidre Wilkerson, Executive Assistant, at (707) 576-2066 or Deidre.Wilkerson@waterboards.ca.gov at least 5 working days prior to the meeting. TTY/TDD/Speech-to-Speech users may contact the California Relay Service at 1-800-735-2929 or voice line at 1-800-735-2922.

    General Statement - The primary duty of the Regional Water Board is to protect the quality of the waters within the region for all beneficial uses. This duty is implemented by formulating and adopting water quality plans for specific ground or surface water basins, and by prescribing and enforcing requirements on all domestic and industrial waste discharges. Responsibilities and procedures of the Regional Water Quality Control Board come from the state's Porter-Cologne Water Quality Act and the nation's Clean Water Act.

    Written Comments, Oral Comments and Presentations - The purpose of the meeting is for the Regional Water Board to obtain testimony and information from concerned and affected parties and make decisions after considering the recommendations made by the Executive Officer. The Regional Water Board and staff welcome information on pertinent problems, but comments at the meeting should be brief and directed to specifics of the case to enable the Regional Water Board to take the appropriate action.

    Materials for each agenda item that will be considered by the Regional Water Board are posted on the Regional Water Board’s website and may be provided to each person on the interested parties list. If you wish to be added to our interested parties list for a specific agenda item, please contact the staff person listed with the item in this agenda notice.

    Written comments and materials must be submitted by the deadlines set by item-specific Notices and/or Hearing Procedures. Written comments and materials for information items must be submitted at least three days before the Board meeting. Written comments and materials that are received after identified deadlines will not generally be admitted. Any person requesting to submit late materials must demonstrate good cause, and the Chair must find that the admission of the late materials would not prejudice the North Coast Regional Water Board or any designated party. Pursuant to title 23, California Code of Regulations, section 648.4, the Regional Water Board may refuse to admit written testimony or evidence into the administrative record if it is not submitted to the Regional Water Board in a timely manner, unless the proponent can demonstrate why he or she was unable to submit the material on time or that compliance with the deadline would create an unreasonable hardship.

    Any person who appears before the Board has an obligation to represent their interest in a professional manner. We expect all statements made before this Board to be truthful, with no attempts to mislead this Board by false statements, deceptive presentation, or failure to include essential information.

    In order to give everyone an opportunity to be heard, a time limit for oral comments may be imposed on any agenda item. Interested persons are encouraged to submit their comments in writing by the applicable due date and use time for oral comments to summarize those concerns. Speakers should plan to deliver their oral comments within 5 minutes. If a longer period of time is desired, speakers will be expected to notify the Executive Officer three days prior to the meeting date, for approval by the Chair and for scheduling purposes. The speaker will be expected to have submitted a written summary of the comments to be delivered by the due date for the associated agenda item and limit oral comments to a summary of pertinent points previously presented in writing.

    Speakers are responsible for providing and operating projectors and other presentation aids. Some equipment may be available at the Board meeting; however, the type of equipment available will vary depending on the meeting location. To ascertain the availability of presentation equipment please contact Deidre Wilkerson at (707) 576-2066 or Deidre.Wilkerson@waterboards.ca.gov at least 5 working days prior to the meeting.

    Hearing Record - Material presented to the Regional Water Board as part of testimony that is to be made part of the record must be left with the Regional Water Board. This includes photographs, slides, charts, diagrams, written testimony, etc. All Regional Water Board files pertaining to the items on this agenda are hereby made a part of the record submitted by staff to the Regional Water Board for its consideration prior to action on the related items.

    Petition of Regional Water Board Action - Any person affected adversely by a decision of the Regional Water Board may petition the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board), to review the decision in accordance with Water Code section 13320 and California Code of Regulations, title 23, sections 2050 and following. The State Water Board must receive the petition by 5:00 p.m., 30 days after the date of the Regional Water Board’s action, except if the thirtieth day following the action falls on a Saturday, Sunday or state holiday, the petition must be received by the State Water Board by 5:00 p.m. on the next business day. Copies of the laws and regulations applicable to filing a petition will be provided upon request, and may also be accessed at Water Quality Petitions (https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/public_notices/petitions/water_quality/).

    Board Members
    Hector Bedolla, Board Chair Healdsburg
    Gregory Giusti, Vice Chair Ukiah
    William Matsubu Eureka
    Alexandra Hart Montague
    Ryan Sundberg Trinidad
    Vacant  
    Vacant  
    State Board

    Dorene D’Adamo

    State Board Liaison
    Management Staff

    Valerie Quinto

    Executive Officer
    Josh Curtis Assistant Executive Officer
    Claudia Villacorta Assistant Executive Officer

    Matthias St. John

    Climate Specialist

    Deidre Wilkerson

    Executive Assistant

    Nathan Jacobsen

    Counsel to the Board
    Bayley Toft-Dupuy Counsel to the Board

    Edith Viera

    Staff Services Manager

    Celene Uribe

    Small Business Liaison
    Planning & Stewardship Division

    Katharine Carter

    Division Supervisor

    Lisa Bernard

    Supervisor, Planning Unit

    Brendan Thompson

    Supervisor, Adaptive Watershed Management Unit

    Bryan McFadin

    Flow & Riparian Protection Specialist

    Elizabeth Pope

    Humboldt Bay Stewardship Specialist
    Nonpoint Source & Surface Water Protection Division

    Johnathan Warmerdam

    Division Supervisor

    James Burke

    Supervisor, Southern Nonpoint Source and Forestry Unit

    Forest Fortescue

    Supervisor, Northern Nonpoint Source and Forestry Unit
    Gil Falcone Supervisor, Southern 401 Certification & Nonpoint Source Protection Unit
    Ryan Bey Supervisor, Northern 401 Certification & Nonpoint Source Protection Unit

    Jake Shannon

    Restoration Specialist
    Point Source Control & Groundwater Protection Division

    Charles Reed

    Division Supervisor

    Heaven Moore

    Supervisor, NPDES Unit
    Heidi Bauer Supervisor, Cleanup Unit
    Kelsey Cody Supervisor, Land Disposal & Groundwater Permitting Unit
    Chris Watt Groundwater Specialist
    Agriculture & Enforcement Division
    Kason Grady Division Supervisor
    David Kusmar Supervisor, Southern Agriculture Unit
    Mona Dougherty Supervisor, Northern Cannabis Regulatory Unit
    Jeremiah Puget Supervisor, Enforcement Unit
    Elias Scott Watershed Stewardship Specialist, Scott and Shasta Rivers

    Regional Water Quality Control Board
    North Coast Region
    5550 Skylane Boulevard, Suite A
    Santa Rosa, CA 95403
    ___________________________________________________________________________
    Email Subscription


    Email Subscription: To receive our Meeting Agenda electronically, follow these steps:

    • Go to our main web page at North Coast Water Board (https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/northcoast/)
    • Click on the link for “Subscribe” at the top of the page
    • Enter your email address to proceed
    • Confirm your email address, create optional password
    • Select “Board Meeting Agenda” from the next page and click “Submit”
    • Enter First Name, Last Name, County, and click ‘Submit”