Residents urge moratorium on new cell towers after erosion, county says AT&T ordered geotechnical survey

Several Trinity County residents urged supervisors on Jan. 29 to halt new cell-tower permits after years of unresolved erosion and safety concerns tied to a monopine at 1240 Lewiston Road.

Mary Cole, a Lewiston resident, told the Board of Supervisors that a road built to serve an AT&T tower caused a winter mudslide in 2021 that destroyed her fence and clogged drainage on her property. “When we sought help, our neighbor was indifferent and had no useful information as to the contact for AT and T,” Cole said. She told the board that letters of noncompliance were issued but that “nearly 3 months later, nothing has been done.”

Cole and other speakers asked the board to impose a temporary moratorium on new tower installations and upgrades until the county adopts stricter permitting and oversight. “The monopine at 1240 needs to be restored to a monopine and not a fake pine tree…open it up into a huge yellow antenna,” Cole said, referring to the tower’s exposed antenna panels.

Odette Vanderwey, who said she formerly worked for the county’s cannabis division, said a public-record review showed “there’s really no codified permitting process for these towers,” and argued the county applies stricter environmental rules to local cannabis farming than it had to the tower project. Tiffany Thurman, a Hayfork resident, urged a moratorium and asked the county to adopt a protective ordinance that would limit tower placement near homes, schools and water supplies.

County Administrative Officer Trent Tuthill told the board the county has been in contact with AT&T. “We finally got to the senior real estate property manager…They have requested that team proceed with a new geotech and survey of the surrounding hillside,” Tuthill said, adding the company’s December 19 update estimated 60 to 90 days for completion of the survey and analysis.

Tuthill said county staff will follow up with AT&T after the 60-day point and that the county had earlier sent letters of noncompliance. He also noted that Verizon, through Sequoia Deployment Services, has applied to upgrade the same Lewiston site.

Other residents who spoke at the meeting described health and safety concerns related to electromagnetic radiation, proximity to an elementary school and damage to private property. Lisa Wright, a Lewiston resident, urged the board to review earlier planning-commission records, saying she recalled environmental review documents at past hearings and noting that state water-quality rules require stormwater pollution prevention plans for larger ground-disturbing projects.

The board did not announce immediate regulatory changes at the meeting. Tuthill and supervisors said county staff are monitoring the AT&T response and will report back when the company’s geotechnical analysis is complete.

The public-comment exchanges and CAO update will inform any follow-up staff work and potential regulatory review; residents urged the board to move faster on enforcement and to consider a temporary moratorium while policy gaps are reviewed.