Sewage Seep?
Strained by casino and brewery, Blue Lake’s system scrutinized
(Nov. 24, 2011) Pretty little Blue Lake has a dirty little problem.
Its aging sewage treatment plant, built in the 1950s for a mostly residential town, is at risk of being seriously overworked by the effluentfrom newer, bigger users, including a casino and a brewery.
Even worse, that effluent burbles through a few treatment ponds that are uncomfortably close to the Mad River, a waterway already afflicted by logging, cattle grazing, gravel mining and other human foibles.
Water regulators want Blue Lake to follow a new, tougher set of rules — eventually. The state has been working for two years and still is months away from writing the draft permit that would spell out those new requirements.
Meanwhile, the environmental group River Watch warned earlier this year that it plans to sue, because it sure looks like the city is discharging pollutants that are making their way into the Mad River.
That threatened suit is now clanking toward settlement in closed-door talks with attorneys and the Blue Lake City Council.
One likely feature of the settlement: more study and more monitoring, according to River Watch attorney Jerry Bernhaut.
What’s missing, so far, is a full accounting of just what Blue Lake is letting drift toward the Mad, how it plans to fix that, and how much it all might cost.
→ post a comment
on the cover
Railroad!
Proposed lines ‘set rich blood a-tingling’ in early 1900s
Some Other Proposed North Coast Railroads
Choo-choo Fantasies
Exposing this east-west rail nonsense
seven-o-heaven
Undeterred Will
Will chides Andrew for lack of attention to detail and makes plans for his inevitable victory.
Recent news story
May 17
Safe Solar Watching
May 10
Trees, Please
The beauty police keep a sharp eye on Caltrans as it studies ways to make Broadway safer
May 3
Super Pay
For super work, say the county's five supervisors
Today
44th Annual Kinetic Grand Championship Race
STAFF PICK / events, art, outdoors, sports, for kids, free / 9 a.m.-6 p.m. A 3-day, 42-mile kinetic sculpture race over land, sand, mud and water! LeMans start at the Noon Whistle on the Arcata Plaza. Follow the race through Manila, Eureka and into Ferndale on Memorial Day for the Glorious Finish. kineticgrandchampionship.com. 889-3024.
Flow 2012 Fashion Show
STAFF PICK / events / 8 p.m. Arcata Theatre Lounge, 1036 G St. Student designed and produced clothing. Fundraiser for Arcata Arts Institute. $35/$25 students. artsinstitute.net. 822-1220.
Woodside Preschool's Rummage/Bake Sale
events / 8 a.m.-noon. Woodside Preschool, 900 Hodgson St, Eureka. www.woodsidepreschool.com. 445-9132.
Lanphere Dunes Restoration
STAFF PICK / outdoors / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Meet at Pacific Union School. Help remove non-native invasives at the Lanphere Dunes Unit of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Tools and gloves provided, wear work clothes and bring water. Carpool to the protected site. 444-1397.
More →
TWO Comments
Comment / By A Larger Reality / Nov. 25, 12:44 p.m.
Surely there a little room here for the larger context!?
Several local cities have already had building moratoriums imposed, and now the county faces one.
That’s the legacy:
A tiny group of post-industrial Humboldt Good Old Boys controlling local politics to continue harvesting the public’s infrastructure beyond capacity….seeking windfalls on Granddaddy’s land at public expense.
If you’re against their malls, big boxes, and sprawl, you’re “anti-growth’!
God forbid that “outsiders” like native people or the Forster-Gil project in Cutten, should get-in on the political/development action.
Allowing the highest bidders to plan our communities has been an abysmal failure.
Comment / By Ivan / Nov. 29, 10:13 a.m.
You are right, we should push for a Equalization of Opportunity bill for Humboldt County! We need more government involvement on the legacy land owners… its just not fair.