Summer Trail Closure Update for Wastewater Treatment Facility Improvements Project

This is a press release from the City of Arcata:

Construction is continuing in the Arcata Marsh in support of the Phase One Arcata Wastewater Treatment Facility Improvement Project. A segment of the Humboldt Bay Trail and Marsh trails at Butcher Slough will be closed during weekdays for a 30-day period starting Monday, June 3 between the Ox Pond trail parking lot on South G Street, the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center and the Butcher Slough bridge. Community members should follow the posted detour signage and are encouraged to access the other open trails in the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary and along South I Street.

The City of Arcata Wastewater Treatment Facility (AWTF) is continuing its Facility Improvements Project with further piping work and construction of new infrastructure to and within the Enhancement Marshes. Construction at Butcher Slough will again focus specifically on new piping, electrical upgrades and the trail bridge over Butcher Slough. Construction will generally take place Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The trail closure will be lifted when safe to do so during the evenings and weekends to limit impacts to public access in the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary.

Detour and closure signs will be posted during the 30-day period when trail access is restricted, for public safety reasons. Please follow all closure signs to limit your risk of injury and to allow the contractor to continue working uninterrupted. For more information on City road and trail closures, please check out the City’s interactive closure map, found at the bottom of the City of Arcata’s Home page under “Trails/Roads Closure Alerts” or at arcg.is/qSOe0.

The City of Arcata has contracted with Wahlund Construction, Inc. for Phase One of the project. Funding for this project, a project funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, has been provided in full or in part under the California’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which is capitalized through a variety of funding sources, including grants from the United States Environmental Protection Agency and state bond proceeds through an agreement with the State Water Resources Control Board. Additional funding for UV equipment has been provided in part by a HUD Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).

The City has received all environmental permits and approvals for the project and has completed all pre- construction bird, amphibian and botanical surveys. The City is working with a multidisciplinary team of consultants and city staff to monitor construction activities and minimize environmental impacts in and around the City’s core wastewater treatment facilities and the publicly accessible enhancement marshes. Please do not remove any staking or flagging found in the project area. Flagging and staking are used to mark new structures

to construct, utilities, areas cleared by biologists and areas of concern to avoid during construction. Mitigation measures, including vegetation restoration, will commence after construction activities are completed. Construction activities are ongoing with an anticipated end date of June 2026. The City thanks the community for their ongoing support and understanding during the construction period.

For further information about the Arcata Wastewater Treatment Improvement Project, please contact the Environmental Services Department at (707) 822-8184.