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Residents press county at public comment for stronger oversight on wastewater planning and pesticide impacts
Summary
Residents and scientists urged the board to revisit assumptions in the wastewater plant basis of design and to take action on pesticide use they say is harming the Smith River estuary and endangered species; the board recorded the testimony but did not take enforcement action at the meeting.
Multiple residents used the public-comment period to press Del Norte County supervisors on two environmental issues: the city’s wastewater treatment plant planning assumptions and pesticide use tied to Easter lily production.
Naomi Pena told the board the wastewater plant basis of design assumes a stable population through the planning horizon (2050–2055), but recent local growth (an 8% increase in Crescent City reported by the speaker) and new downtown housing projects could make that assumption untenable. Pena argued the city needs to re-evaluate capacity projections, the operational and replacement costs of membrane bioreactor systems, and whether the current site can accommodate long-term, lower-cost treatment options. She asked that the board reconsider the basis-of-design assumptions and ensure lifecycle cost information and alternative siting/capacity scenarios are provided.
Separately, Alicia Williams and others urged the county to press for stronger monitoring and enforcement around restricted-use pesticides applied to Easter lily fields, saying they have documented ecosystem and human-health consequences and citing a NOAA Fisheries warning letter regarding illegal impacts to coho salmon. Carl Page, an aquatic biologist, testified the pesticide regime has harmed the Smith River estuary and endangered tidewater goby and lamprey. Commenters asked the county ag commissioner to use adverse-impact authority and to coordinate with the Regional Water Quality Control Board.
Board members accepted the testimony and recorded it into the public record. No enforcement action or formal direction to initiate regulatory proceedings was taken during the meeting; commenters were encouraged to leave written materials with county staff and to pursue ongoing agency channels.
Next steps: County staff and the commenter community may coordinate to ensure materials and evidence are transmitted to state regulators and county departments for follow-up.
