District presenters outline two-phase heavy-lift terminal plan as residents press noise and shellfish concerns

Consultants for the proposed Redwood (heavy-lift) Marine Terminal told the Humboldt Bay Harbor Recreation and Conservation District board that the project has settled into a multi-stage build designed to support both turbine components and on-site foundation assembly, and that the environmental impact report will evaluate noise, vibration and aquatic impacts.

Josh Singer, the phasing presenter, said the plan now uses a phase 0, phase 1 and phase 2 sequence in which phase 0 readies access roads and utilities while phase 1 (the larger work) would open the terminal to industry operations. "Phase 1 is about 124 acres and about 2,300 linear feet of wharf," Singer said, adding dredging and wet storage areas would be included to allow foundation assembly and temporary storage prior to tow-out.

The board and consultants described phase timing as market-driven, with staff and presenters estimating phase 0 and phase 1 work could take on the order of three to four years to complete under current assumptions. Rob, a district project lead on the call, said phase 0 was tied to grant commitments and off-site and on-site mitigation work the district identified as a priority.

The presentation by Jason Volk, a noise specialist with ICF, focused on how the EIR will measure and model sound and vibration from construction and operation. Volk said the team collected continuous noise measurements at 18 locations and will evaluate both regulatory thresholds and increases above ambient levels. "The pile driving that would take place at the wharves would be about 1,000 feet away" from the nearest residences, Volk said, and the EIR will model construction and operational scenarios and mitigation measures including vibratory pile-driving where feasible.

Residents and local industry speakers raised strong concerns about dredging, pile driving and the effects on shellfish nurseries. One attendee told the board the project "is a catastrophic failure for Humboldt Bay" and urged the district to prioritize restoration and small-scale aquaculture. Consultants responded that the activities now identified for phase 1 were previously part of the overall plan and that the environmental review will consider mitigation and operational limits.

Consultants emphasized that the EIR will include hydroacoustics and other resource-specific studies: Jordan Mayer, an ecologist on the consultant team, said noise impacts will be considered relative to health and welfare thresholds under CEQA and to local conditions. Presenters noted a separate marine-vibroacoustic analysis will study pile-driving effects on fish and other aquatic species.

The board took no formal vote on the terminal at this meeting; staff reiterated a public meeting is scheduled for June 24 at Arcadia Community Center to present technical details and take further public comment. Presenters said a Notice of Preparation and project description would be circulated in coming months describing construction-season constraints, study methods and draft mitigation options.

What happens next: the EIR team will continue site-specific monitoring and modeling and present results in the draft EIR; district staff plan further technical briefings for commissioners and the public before any policy or permit decisions.