Evacuation orders issued yesterday for sections of the Eel River Valley have been downgraded but several zones remain under evacuation warnings, including areas around the Van Duzen and Mad rivers, due to flooding. In a storm update today, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office cautioned residents that they should “remain cautious and prepared to leave again […]
Mad River
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UPDATE: Evacuation Orders, Warnings as Eel to Hit Major Flood Stage, More High Winds on Tap
UPDATE: The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has issued evacuation orders and warnings for sections of the Eel River area. Find the areas and further information here. For those who need to evacuate, the HCSO states: “The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services in coordination with the Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services […]
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UPDATE: Local Emergency Declared Due to Storm Damage
UPDATE: Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal has declared a local emergency due to the “significant impact of floods” during this past weekend’s storm, the first step toward being able to request state and federal assistance. “Significant flooding of small creeks and streams, as well as main stem flooding of the Mad River began on Friday, […]
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Flood Advisories, Road Closures Hit as Rain Continues
The National Weather Service is issuing flood advisories throughout various parts of the county, including the Eel River at Fernbridge, which is forecast to reach flood stage at 22 feet on Saturday morning and remain there through Sunday. If the flooding in the Eel River reaches 22 feet, it could result in flooding of the […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Josiah Gregg in California
“Here commenced an expedition, the marked and prominent features of which were constant and unmitigated toil, hardship, privation, and suffering.” From the journal of Lewis Keysor Wood, published in the Humboldt Times, April, 1856 Picking up where we left off last week (“Josiah Gregg: Prairie Years,” April 21): After two decades of prairie living in […]
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Blue-green Algae Makes an Early Appearance
Anyone visiting lakes or rivers in the region is being cautioned to look out for blue-green algae after the Blue Lake Rancheria confirmed levels of cyanobacteria at two sample sites on the Mad River this week. The samples were collected at a popular swimming location known as Pump Station 4 and downstream of the city […]
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Humboldt Company Fined $2M for Clean Water Act Violations
A U.S. District Court judge this week ordered a Humboldt County company to pay just more than $2 million in civil penalties for discharging pollutants into Hall Creek, a tributary to the Mad River, in violation of the Clean Water Act and for noncompliance with state and federal pollution control measures. According to the May […]
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August Complex Efforts Hindered by People Staying in Evacuation Zones
August Complex: 955,513 acres with 51 percent containment The August Complex is continuing to grow to the north and was as the lightning-caused blaze that started more than a month ago moves closer to the 1 million acre mark. According to this morning’s update, “firefighting and public safety operations are being challenged by the public […]
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Blue-Green Algae Found in Mad River
Public Health and Environmental Health officials are cautioning residents to stay out of the water after cyanobacteria — also known as blue-green alage — was confirmed at three locations on the Mad River. According to a news release, the samples were collected at the Mad River Recreational location commonly known as Sewer Ponds, at Pump […]
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Record Rain Wreaking Havoc on Humboldt
Roads are flooding, rivers are rising and the Coast Guard is urging boat owners to check on their vessels in the wake of record rainfall over the last two days that has inundated the region. According to the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services, the local Red Cross has opened an evacuation center at the […]
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The New Zealand Invaders
About the last thing Northern California needs right now is another environmental crisis, especially one that affects the already beleaguered salmon population. Consequently, scientists were not happy to learn that New Zealand mudsnails, which have the unpleasant habit of taking out the algae at the bottom of the aquatic food chain, have invaded local waterways. […]
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Wildfire Smoke Likely to Impact Air Quality
Parts of the North Coast, including Orleans and the Hoopa, Van Duzen and Mad River areas, may experience periods of unhealthy air quality conditions today and this evening due to wildfires. According to the North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District, winds coming from the northwest will help disperse the smoke from the Carr Fire […]