Plan Specifics

Location: THP 520 is located along and above the South Fork Elk River, a major tributary to Humboldt Bay, and is surrounded by the Headwaters Forest Reserve.

Size: The THP area encompasses 705 acres, which totals nearly 5 % of the 13,177-acre South Fork Elk River watershed.

Additional Threats THPs: There are currently 5 additional THPs proposed by PL that are also located on the South Fork Elk River. Collectively, these plans comprise 1,656-acres and threaten to put 1,258 acres under the footprint of an active logging operation. The Elkhead Springs Planning watershed is approximately 5,700 acres. These logging plans mean that as much as 20 to 30% of the South Fork Elk could be subjected to logging operations within one to two years.

Relationship to the HCP: THP 520 is not compliant with PL's Habitat Conservation Plan.

Concerns Regarding THP 520
Sediment pollution from the THP area has a high potential for degrading fish habitat, domestic water sources and other "beneficial uses" within the South Fork Elk River system. Being very geologically unstable, the area is extremely sensitive to land disturbances, and landslides and other erosion sources have followed similar intensive logging operations within the Elk River watershed. Additionally, the THP would include the removal or replacement of about 70 stream crossings and result in a significant amount of bare soil that could be delivered to the South Fork Elk River. Monitoring during and after these activities will allow for timely detection of sediment delivery to the watercourses and timely action to correct the problems. Without such monitoring, inadequate erosion control measures would go undetected and result in significant amounts of sediment polluting the river, as has occurred within the North Fork of the Elk River.

Beneficial Uses of Special Concern That Could Be Impacted By Sediment
Anadromous Fishery: The South Fork Elk River is one of the best streams in California for threatened salmon, including coho salmon, chinook salmon and steelhead trout, and is critical to their survival.

Domestic water supply: Residents living on the South Fork Elk River have drawn domestic and agricultural water from the river for more than a century, but sediment pollution has severely degraded this use in the last five years.

Recreation: The South Fork Elk River is used by the public for swimming and fishing in numerous places, and hiking and recreating within the Headwaters Reserve.

Monitoring and Reporting Program Specifics
The Order calls for monitoring of the water quality conditions in the South Fork Elk River and the THP area before, during and after logging operations are conducted on THP 520. The pre-logging monitoring is required to demonstrate the existing water quality conditions in the watershed. Water quality conditions during and after logging will be compared to pre-logging conditions to determine the impacts that result from the THP and related activities. The pre-project monitoring will require measurement of 160 samples during storms and require up to 1-year to develop the required data.

Regional Board Authority
According to the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, Section 13267, and a resolution passed by the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, the staff of the Regional Board has the authority to issue Monitoring and Reporting Program Orders. In conducting an investigation of the quality of waters of the state within its region, the Water Board staff may require anyone discharging pollution to conduct monitoring and submit technical reports, as required by this Order issued to Pacific Lumber Company.