Nordic Aquafarms US News

US Newsdesk

California

How many jobs will Nordic provide and will the workforce come from Humboldt or out of the area?

Nordic plans to hire as much qualified workforce as possible from the local area.

Nordic expects to offer about 150 full-time jobs with benefits when the facility is fully built out. In addition, there will be many indirect jobs generated in support of the facility (truck drivers, food service, etc.)

Nordic expects approximately 250-300 construction jobs during the demolition and construction period.

Nordic is working closely with College of the Redwoods to revitalize their aquaculture program and with HSU to ensure a steady pipeline of LOCAL qualified professionals. Nordic is also working with the Humboldt County Office of Education to introduce information to students about careers in aquaculture, support in-classroom educational programs and more.

What Economic Impact will this project have?

Business Development – The project will create many ancillary business opportunities for local entrepreneurs.

Property Tax increases – Site improvements, a subsequent increase in property value and property tax will increase county revenue. Estimated tax revenue will be based on the valuation of the facility through an appraisal process.

Increased local spending – Wages, ancillary spending will result in millions of additional dollars infused into the local economy and local spending on supplies and services will increase during Nordic’s multi-year construction phase. The consulting company Implan estimated for Humboldt County that the impact of direct, indirect and induced labor impact (value stemming from the spending of labor income) would be approximately $48 million annually.

Catalyst for additional development and improvement – The County has established an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD), which will support additional infrastructure enhancement on the peninsula, further increasing business development opportunities.

Will Nordic hurt or drain the Bay by taking 10 million gallons a day for their facility?

No, the Bay is connected directly to the ocean. The Harbor district is modernizing two existing sea chests with new screens. 1mm wedge wire screens will be installed to prevent fish from entrainment to the fullest extent possible with a large surface area to reduce the velocity of the water at the screens surface to just 0.2 feet per second to prevent potential impingement. Periodic air burst will be used to keep the screens clean.

The Harbor district will withdraw 12 million gallons per day (MGD) of sea water to support the aquaculture business park. Nordic will use up to 10 million gallons per day of this sea water for its operation at full build out. In comparison, more than 60 billion gallons per day (BGD) is exchanged per day with the daily tidal flows.

What permits will Nordic obtain during the permitting process? 

In addition to completing the EIR (Environmental Impact Report) under the CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) process, Nordic will obtain several permits in order to build the facility in Humboldt.

The main permits are:

  • Coastal Development Permit (CDP) from Humboldt County for development of the site within the Humboldt Bay Area Plan, Local Coastal Plan (LDP) jurisdiction
  • Coastal Development Permit (CDP) from the California Coastal Commission for the discharge to comply with the Coastal Act
  • National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit including compliance with the Water Code Section 13142.5(b) for water intake from Humboldt Bay
  • Air quality permit from the North Coast Unified Air Quality Management

The Harbor District will also obtain permits for water intake from the Sea Chest from the California Coastal Commission.

Will Nordic drain the Mad River by taking 2 million gallons a day?

No. The Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District has carefully studied the water supply.

Approximately 2 million gallons of fresh water will be diverted from the Mad River using existing industrial infrastructure. This is approximately 6-7% of the previous water volume supplied to the pulp mills through the industrial water line when they were operational.

Humboldt County needs to generate additional industrial demand for fresh water or risks losing regional water rights when permits come up for renewal in 2029.

I thought the EPA cleaned up the site. Why does Nordic say they need to clean the site?

The Harbor District worked with the EPA to conduct initial site clean-up of most hazardous substances, including several million gallons of black liquors used in producing pulp.

Other debris had been left on site and now includes scrap metal, decaying buildings covered with lead, asbestos and other public hazards such as open pits and buildings with material falling off of them, and areas of contaminated soil.

Nordic will be responsible for the remaining clean-up of industrial debris and demolish abandoned buildings, addressing lead, asbestos and other hazardous materials remaining on-site. Nordic will also remove any potential contamination ensuring clean-up of the site and create a new, environmentally sustainable stormwater system that treats all the stormwater.