Humboldt Waterkeeper addresses water pollution on a case-by-case basis, and provides information to encourage residents to take action to address the problem of toxics in our environment. Historic industrial activity continues to impact the Bay and adjacent waterways as well as human health and the area’s economy. Dioxins, heavy metals, petroleum products, and other contaminants persist in areas where they were used in the past, and continue to enter Humboldt Bay and coastal waters through stormwater and groundwater discharges. Humboldt Waterkeeper works to stop this ongoing problem by seeking cleanup of these sites. A major focus of Humboldt Waterkeeper’s Toxics Initiative is the past use of wood preservatives at dozens of lumber mills that once lined the shores of the Bay and its tributaries. The mills used the chemical pentachlorophenol (also known as "penta") which led to the release of contaminants such as dioxins and furans. Accidental spills and illegal dumping of these chemicals resulted in soil and water contamination. For example, the former Simpson Plywood Mill, and an adjacent drainage swale that discharges directly into Humboldt Bay, was heavily contaminated by dioxins and furans. Through Humboldt Waterkeeper’s Toxic Initiative, this ongoing threat to Humboldt Bay was identified, and has been the subject of clean up activities to eliminate this source of dioxin.In 2006, Humboldt Waterkeeper petitioned the State Water Resources Control Board to add Humboldt Bay to California’s Threatened and Impaired Waters list under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act. As a result, Humboldt Bay was listed for dioxins in 2007. Humboldt Bay was listed as Impaired by PCBs under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act in 2002, based on levels of PCBs found in fish tissue. PCBs have been demonstrated to cause a variety of serious health effects, including cancer and serious effects on the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system, and endocrine system. Click HERE for more info on PCBs and their health effects. In 2012, a statewide survey of coastal fish found the highest mercury levels in Humboldt Bay leopard shark. In 2016, the California Environmental Protection Agency funded our Humboldt Bay Mercury Assessment to study mercury levels in fish and to identify communities most at risk of exposure. Phase I of this study was completed in 2018, and Phase II was funded in 2019.
Butcher Slough meanders through the Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary, a popular natural area adjacent to Humboldt Bay. Shorebirds, ducks, herons, and egrets forage along the channel, making it a great place for bird-watching. What we can’t see is the toxic legacy of the timber industry, which left dioxins, metals, and other contaminants here and at many other mill sites around Humboldt Bay. Drone image by Oren Nardi, Jan. 2024.
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The lumber industry in Humboldt is on a decline. It has been for decades, and the era of luxurious Victorian mansions and railroads has been dead longer than most people living here have been alive.Even as it struggles along, the shock wave from its heyday is still causing ripples.
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Humboldt Baykeeper recently received a grant from the California Environmental Protection Agency to prioritize contaminated sites around the bay that are most at risk from rising sea level and groundwater. We first began assessing the risks to contaminated sites due to flooding and erosion from sea level rise in 2012. But rising groundwater is also a concern, since it will likely impact low-lying areas around the bay before they are affected by surface inundation. Read More
The American Lung Association recently ranked Humboldt County’s air quality as among the cleanest in the state. But that wasn’t always so. For decades, two pulp mills just across Humboldt Bay from Eureka smothered the city with stinky white smoke. Some say it was the “smell of money,” but the cleanup has cost taxpayers more than $30 million – with a huge mess still left behind. Photo: When the Harbor District acquired the former Samoa pulp mill, hazardous materials, dilapidated structures, and debris covered the site, as seen in 2014 from the roof of the 15-story boiler building. Photo by Jennifer Savage, Surfrider Foundation.
Read more …
Humboldt Waterkeeper addresses water pollution on a case-by-case basis, and provides information to encourage residents to take action to address the problem of toxics in our environment. Historic industrial activity continues to impact the Bay and adjacent waterways as well as human health and the area’s economy. Dioxins, heavy metals, petroleum products, and other contaminants persist in areas where they were used in the past, and continue to enter Humboldt Bay and coastal waters through stormwater and groundwater discharges. Humboldt Waterkeeper works to stop this ongoing problem by seeking cleanup of these sites. A major focus of Humboldt Waterkeeper’s Toxics Initiative is the past use of wood preservatives at dozens of lumber mills that once lined the shores of the Bay and its tributaries. The mills used the chemical pentachlorophenol (also known as "penta") which led to the release of contaminants such as dioxins and furans. Accidental spills and illegal dumping of these chemicals resulted in soil and water contamination. For example, the former Simpson Plywood Mill, and an adjacent drainage swale that discharges directly into Humboldt Bay, was heavily contaminated by dioxins and furans. Through Humboldt Waterkeeper’s Toxic Initiative, this ongoing threat to Humboldt Bay was identified, and has been the subject of clean up activities to eliminate this source of dioxin.In 2006, Humboldt Waterkeeper petitioned the State Water Resources Control Board to add Humboldt Bay to California’s Threatened and Impaired Waters list under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act. As a result, Humboldt Bay was listed for dioxins in 2007. Humboldt Bay was listed as Impaired by PCBs under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act in 2002, based on levels of PCBs found in fish tissue. PCBs have been demonstrated to cause a variety of serious health effects, including cancer and serious effects on the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system, and endocrine system. Click HERE for more info on PCBs and their health effects. In 2012, a statewide survey of coastal fish found the highest mercury levels in Humboldt Bay leopard shark. In 2016, the California Environmental Protection Agency funded our Humboldt Bay Mercury Assessment to study mercury levels in fish and to identify communities most at risk of exposure. Phase I of this study was completed in 2018, and Phase II was funded in 2019. 
Butcher Slough meanders through the Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary, a popular natural area adjacent to Humboldt Bay. Shorebirds, ducks, herons, and egrets forage along the channel, making it a great place for bird-watching. What we can’t see is the toxic legacy of the timber industry, which left dioxins, metals, and other contaminants here and at many other mill sites around Humboldt Bay. Drone image by Oren Nardi, Jan. 2024. 
The lumber industry in Humboldt is on a decline. It has been for decades, and the era of luxurious Victorian mansions and railroads has been dead longer than most people living here have been alive.Even as it struggles along, the shock wave from its heyday is still causing ripples. 
Humboldt Baykeeper recently received a grant from the California Environmental Protection Agency to prioritize contaminated sites around the bay that are most at risk from rising sea level and groundwater.
The American Lung Association recently ranked Humboldt County’s air quality as among the cleanest in the state. But that wasn’t always so. For decades, two pulp mills just across Humboldt Bay from Eureka smothered the city with stinky white smoke. Some say it was the “smell of money,” but the cleanup has cost taxpayers more than $30 million – with a huge mess still left behind. Photo: When the Harbor District acquired the former Samoa pulp mill, hazardous materials, dilapidated structures, and debris covered the site, as seen in 2014 from the roof of the 15-story boiler building. Photo by Jennifer Savage, Surfrider Foundation. 
