Last round in critical Pacific Lumber / Water Board Hearings!

Last round in critical Palco / Water Board Hearings!

Monday, May 8
Fountain Grove Conference Center
Camelot Room
101 Fountaingrove Parkway
Santa Rosa, CA

Hearing begins at 9:00 am, with public comment session at the beginning of the agenda


Humboldt Watershed Council supporters,

The North Coast Regional Water Board's final approval hearing for the long-delayed
draft permits for the Pacific Lumber Company's operations in Freshwater and Elk
River is scheduled for next Monday, May 8th in Santa Rosa. This is the continuation
of last week's lenghthy hearings on the same issue. The full hearing procedure is
attached, and other documents are available on the RWB's website,
http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/rwqcb1/geninfo/wwwdr/wwwdr.html.

At the conclusion of last week's hearings, the Board directed their staff and the
various parties to provide written comments and suggestions on ways to incorporate
some of the downstream mitigations advocated by Palco into the draft permit. The
Board also asked for further information on scientific, economic and legal issues.
These comments will be used to revise the draft permit into its final form. This
final permit will be circulated for public review by 5pm on Monday, May 1st. As of
yet, we do not know whether any changes will be good or bad.

There are about 3 hours scheduled for the parties at this hearing, plus an hour for
public comment, which will take place at the beginning of the hearing. It is
conceivable that the hearing could easily take 5 or 6 hours, total.

Anyone wishing to comment to the Board must sign up in advance by e-mailing Jean
Lockett jlockett [at] waterboards.ca.gov, or by calling (707) 576-2307. Be sure to
include your name, your organization (if speaking on behalf), and the general
subject of your testimony. Comments at the hearing should be limited to policy,
opinion, argument, or non-expert analysis. No new evidence will be allowed at this
hearing.

Thanks to all of you who can come to Santa Rosa to support us on this final step of
what has now been a 9 year process to gain relief from flooding for the residents of
Elk River and Freshwater.

Humboldt Watershed Council