today
8:30 a.m. Audubon Society Field Trip See Event Description
read >9 a.m. Arcata Farmers' Market Arcata Plaza
read >9:30 a.m. Discovery Walk: Unknown Waterfront See Event Description
read >9:30 a.m. Manila Dunes Restoration Manila Community Center
read >10 a.m. Manila Dunes Guided Walk Manila Community Center
read >10 a.m. Library Book Sale Humboldt County Library
read >10 a.m. Dia de los Muertos and Mexican Folk Art Sale Private Eureka home
read >10 a.m. Final Arcata Farmer's Market Arcata Farmers' Market (off the plaza)
read >11 a.m. Donlin Foreman Dance Workshop Dell'Arte
read >2 p.m. Humboldt Coastal Nature Center Draft Trails Plan Walk Stamps House
read >5 p.m. Bati Zado and Show Redwood Raks World Dance Studio
read >6 p.m. The Tumbleweeds Chapala Cafe
read >6 p.m. Ali Chaudhary (jazz duo) Libation
read >6:30 p.m. Not Evil, Just Wrong Humboldt Area Foundation
read >7 p.m. Guitar Stan (country) Old Town Coffee & Chocolates
read >8 p.m. Guitar Orchestra of Barcelona Arkley Center for the Performing Arts
read >8 p.m. Stones in His Pockets Arcata Playhouse
read >8 p.m. A Christmas Carol North Coast Repertory Theater
read >8 p.m. Donna Landry Swing Dance Moose Lodge
read >8 p.m. North Coast Wind Ensemble Fulkerson Recital Hall at HSU
read >8:30 p.m. The Last Minute Men (international) Cafe Mokka
read >9 p.m. Ian McFeron Band (folk rock) Six Rivers Brewery
read >9 p.m. The Michael Paul Band WAVE @ blue lake casino
read >9 p.m. The Generatorz (classic rock) Central Station Cocktail Lounge
read >9 p.m. Taxi Bear River Casino
read >9 p.m. VJ Itchie Fingaz Pearl Lounge
read >9 p.m. Jack Ruby Presents + Blue Street + Acufunkture (DIY rock) Jambalaya
read >9 p.m. 2nd Annual Scorpio Bash The Red Fox Tavern
read >10 p.m. Music by DJ Sidelines
read >10 p.m. DJ Icy Hot Aunty Mo's Lounge
read >10 p.m. Jemimah Puddleduck (rock) Humboldt Brews
read >10 p.m. White Manna + Midday Veil + The King Salmon Duo (rock) Jambalaya
read >11 p.m. Radio Moscow (psychadelic blues) + Mosquito Bandito (one-man surf/garage) The Alibi Lounge and Restaurant
read >previous columns
May 7, 2009
Can 1A Stop the Bleeding?
Retired teacher turned farmer Roger Smith says he's torn. He's ...
read >April 30, 2009
Old Town Hunkers Down
Despite high-profile closures, merchants say they will weather the storm
read >A History of Troubles at Eureka Ice
By HSU Investigative Reporting students
March 14, 1994
A failed pipe nipple at Eureka Ice releases 764 lbs. of anhydrous ammonia over 1 1/2 hours.
April 4, 1997
A routine inspection finds that workers had been improperly disposing of anhydrous ammonia into an outside floor drain.
Feb. 2, 2002
Eureka Ice is evacuated after a strong smell of ammonia and chlorine.
Aug. 29, 2002
A county environmental health inspector finds mislabeled/non-labeled Hazardous Waste containers. It also finds that the shop is in good order.
Jan. 19, 2003
An engineer on duty notices an ammonia smell in the plant, then isolates a leak.
March 23, 2003
SHN Consulting Engineers produces a preliminary seismic assessment report. On it is a circle with a half-mile radius around Eureka Ice. It shows the area most susceptible if a substantial amount of ammonia were to leak from Eureka Ice on a day with little wind.
July 29, 2004
A county environmental health inspector finds mislabeled/non-labeled hazardous waste containers, hazardous material inventory missing or not to standard, personnel training program not meeting the health and safety codes.
June 13, 2007
California Dept. of Public Health finds a number of health and safety violations at Eureka Ice including a filthy bathroom, flaking paint, rotted-out walls and large bins on the floor to catch falling ice from the ceiling.
Jan. 14, 2008
The Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services issues a notice of violation to Eureka Ice. It warns that catastrophic release of ammonia from the EI&CS would present a significant hazard to public health and safety.
Feb. 19, 2008
A county environmental health inspector finds unlabeled hazardous waste containers, open hazardous waste containers, no records of required personnel training and an out-of-date emergency response plan.
July 16, 2008
An inspection by the U.S. Environmental Agency and Humboldt County Environmental Services Division discovers ammonia leaking from an engine room pumper at Eureka Ice. Inspectors note that the posts supporting the roof appear to be inadequate and liable to catastrophic failure. They find caked ice two feet thick on wall. And they say that the preventative maintenance program is inadequate to nonexistent.
Sept. 11, 2008
Humboldt County Dept. of Health and Human Services orders Eureka Ice to remove the anhydrous ammonia system and complete a seismic assessment and fines the company $9.5 million. The company settles with the county for a fine of $10,000 plus an additional $5,500 in agency costs and agrees to fulfill all the conditions of the order.
Oct. 1, 2008
The last of the anhydrous ammonia is removed from Eureka Ice.
Oct. 16, 2008
The Eureka Building Dept. is informed that the roof on the Eureka Ice plant has partially collapsed, compromising the structural integrity of the building.
Nov. 3, 2008
City wastewater treatment workers doing routine inspection at a lift station on Waterfront Drive are overwhelmed with ammonia fumes. Workers at Eureka Ice had been pouring an ammonia solution down the drain. Eureka Ice manager Tom Devere admits to having discharged 20 gallons of the mixture on three separate occasions. The city of Eureka assesses a fine of $10,110.38.
Dec. 1, 2008
The city of Eureka applies for $500,000 from the Headwaters Fund and agrees to contribute another $250,000 in redevelopment funds to purchase and install a new ice system to provide flake ice on a city-owned pier next to Pacific Choice, to be operated by Pacific Choice.


















1. Mystified:
May 15, 8:37 p.m.
This is disturbing. Thanks for all of this information. I had to call someone to find out that catastrophic release of ammonia's hazard to public health and safety means the workers could get chemical burns in their lungs, or if trapped inside they could not breathe, and does not mean it could harm all of Eureka.
In fact this person just told me that anhydrous ammonia disapates in the air and breaks down in the water, so my questions were answered about the safety of our water and air quality.
When I read that the ammonia could cause some catastrophic event, I right away thought huge explosion or harming the air all around Eureka. Fortunately, this is not the case. Now I agree with using Headwater's Funds for this new Ice Plant. I did not know they were having to get ice from Oregon, so now I agree this was the best decision.
When you use the word catastrophic hazard to public health and safety, could you please explain to people what that means. Luckily the first person I called happened to be an expert.
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