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Residents press county on pesticide use near Smith River; Water Board meeting scheduled, regulators to release draft order
Summary
Speakers at the Del Norte County board meeting urged action after long-running concerns about pesticides and fumigants used on lily farms near the Smith River; supervisors and public commenters flagged environmental and public-health risks and noted an October Water Board meeting and a draft waste discharge general order expected in January.
Del Norte County residents and scientific experts urged the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to press state regulators over the use of restricted pesticides and soil fumigants on lily farms in the Smith River plains, saying applications run close to housing and important estuarine habitat.
Supervisor John Howard told the board the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board will hold a meeting in Del Norte County on Oct. 8 to discuss recent findings related to lily farm impacts, and that a draft general order for waste discharge is expected in January, followed by a public workshop in February. He said the board anticipates consideration and potential adoption of a draft order and environmental review by August 2026.
Several public commenters provided detailed accounts and technical concerns. Carl Page, a fisheries biologist, described long-standing changes to floodplain creeks and the removal of woody debris that coho salmon and other species use for cover. “Coho need those for over summer rearing,” Page said, linking habitat alteration and pesticide exposure to risks for threatened species.
Public commenter Alicia Williams outlined label warnings and toxicity of specific pesticide products applied in the area. She said some labels warn “do not apply directly to water or where surface water is present” and noted soil fumigant label language that cautions against leaching and runoff after untarped applications, particularly in areas with heavy rainfall.
Williams also said the County Agricultural Commissioner and the Water Board share responsibility through mutual-agency arrangements with the Department of Pesticide Regulation, and she urged coordinated enforcement and review of alternatives to the restricted materials.
Supervisor Howard asked the board to track the Water Board's schedule and to be prepared for public workshops connected with the draft order. Board members did not take regulatory action at Tuesday's meeting but directed attention to the upcoming Water Board process; several board members and speakers said they are seeking stronger transparency and monitoring of pesticide applications near residents and ecologically sensitive waterways.
What happens next: The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board is scheduled to meet in Del Norte County on Oct. 8; the board and county staff will monitor the schedule and public workshops tied to a draft general order for waste discharge expected in January, with a projected adoption timeline in August 2026.
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No formal board vote was required at Tuesday’s meeting on this topic.
