The Ongoing Aftermath of Bentonite Dumping into Redwood Creek

RE: Redwood Creek Bentonite Dumping and Remediation

Dear Adona and Regional Board leadership,

I write on behalf of Friends of the Eel River regarding the ongoing aftermath of bentonite dumping into waters that drain into Redwood Creek, tributary to the South Fork Eel River.

We have reviewed the June 18, 2026 Cleanup and Abatement and Investigative Order No. R1-2026-0038, issued by your office to Mykal Coelho of 4545 Briceland Road. We have also reviewed the Cleanup and Abatement and Investigative Order (also No. R1-2026-0038), issued by your office to Direct Drilling, Inc., North Sky Communications, LLC., and Arcadian Infracom 4, LLC.

We are particularly concerned because, as the Board’s Orders note, Redwood Creek is a vital stronghold for salmonid runs listed under the federal Endangered Species Act, including steelhead, as well as Chinook and coho salmon. While most Chinook young of the year had probably moved downstream by the time of the June incident, coho and steelhead both must stay in freshwater for at least a year, and were thus present and exposed to the effects of the dumped material.

The extraordinary resource values embodied in these fish are reflected in a suite of identified beneficial uses and associated prohibitions identified for this section of the South Fork Eel River in the North Coast Region Basin Plan. The Board’s Orders clearly outline how the unpermitted discharge of Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) waste increases the threat to water quality and beneficial uses in a water body already impaired by excess sediment.

We very much appreciate the Regional Board’s timely and focused responses, and the information you have been able to share with interested parties and the public to date. Our current understanding is that the Regional Board is waiting for testing and assessment of the material that has been deposited in Redwood Creek and its tributary in a Discharge Characterization Report, due July 10, 2026.

As well, you have ordered the preparation of cleanup and remediation measures under a Corrective Action Plan, also due July 10, as well as a Mitigation Plan and a Post Impact Monitoring and Sampling Program, both due August 3, 2026. We further understand that the Board is awaiting a Stream Impacts Assessment and Sensitive Receptor Survey.

In addition, we understand that a second set of dumping actions are known to have taken place in the Meadows Business Park in Redway, CA, and that additional unpermitted dumping actions are suspected to have occurred during the previous year. While we have no reason to believe this second situation constitutes a direct threat to water quality and aquatic resources to anything like the Redwood Creek situation does, the unpermitted disposal of potentially hazardous materials threatens California’s human and natural communities with a range of serious potential harms.

We want to be very clear that Friends of the Eel River expects the Regional Board, on behalf of the people of California and the natural resources under your care and jurisdiction, to take every reasonable measure to ensure:

1. A cleanup that is as rapid and complete as feasible in and around Redwood Creek;
2. Responsible Parties identified and held fully responsible for what appear to be repeated incidents of deliberate dumping in clear violation of law, regulation, and contractual obligations to the State of California;
3. An appropriate level of regulatory response, including fines proportionate to the harms threatened, and sufficient to deter any potential repeat of the illegal actions at issue here. (Thus, fines should significantly exceed the cost of transporting the HDD mud to licensed disposal facilities.)
4. Identification and remediation of, and appropriate regulatory responses to, any Mendocino dumpsites.

Thank you for your continued attention to these vital matters.

Sincerely yours,