Humboldt County Municipal Code Ch. 1 Pollution of Rivers

Sections: Prohibition against Pollution of Waters. Prohibition against Depositing Debris in Rivers and Streams. Exemptions. Abatement of Public Nuisance. Penalty. Interpretation. 641-1. Prohibition against Pollution of Waters. It shall be unlawful to conduct or carry on any operation which will in any way pollute or contaminate the waters of any river or stream within Humboldt County in such a manner as to decrease or affect the clarity of said waters, and more specifically to affect the reasonable enjoyment by fishermen, swimmers and other members of the public using said waters for recreation. (Ord. 400, § 2, 5/2/1961) 641-2. Prohibition against Depositing Debris in Rivers and Streams. It shall be unlawful to deposit in or cause, suffer or procure to be deposited in, permit to pass into or place where it can pass into the waters of any river or stream in Humboldt County any debris, fallings, effluent or other substance from any source or operation whatsoever, including gravel digging, washing and processing operations that decrease or affect the clarity of the waters in any river or stream within Humboldt County. (Ord. 400, § 3, 5/2/ 1961) 641-3. Exemptions. The provisions of §§ 641-1 and 641-2 of this chapter shall not apply to gravel digging, washing and the processing operations or other operations when the waters of any rivers or streams within Humboldt County, from natural causes at a point immediately preceding the point where said gravel digging, washing and processing operations are being conducted, contain fifty (50) parts per million by weight of suspended solids as determined by standard methods of water analysis, or when the turbidity of the water of said rivers and streams by natural causes at a point immediately preceding the point where the gravel digging, washing and processing operations or other operations are being conducted, is more than seventy (70) parts per million as determined by a standard geological turbidity scale or the equivalent thereof. (Ord. 400, § 4, 5/2/1961) 641-4. Abatement of Public Nuisance. Any operations, structures or contrivances which cause or contribute in whole or in part to the condition, the causing of which is in this chapter prohibited, are a public nuisance, and any person, firm or corporation maintaining or permitting the same shall be guilty of maintaining a public nuisance, and it shall be the duty of the County Counsel to bring an action to abate said public nuisance. (Ord. 400, § 5, 5/2/1961) 641-5. Penalty. It is hereby declared to be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to violate any of the provisions of this chapter, and such violations are hereby declared to be misdemeanors. (Ord. 400, § 6, 5/2/1961)

641-6. Interpretation. It is the intention of the Board of Supervisors that this chapter shall be reasonably construed so as not to unduly interfere with legitimate and reasonable operations along the rivers and streams of the County; that is to say, that any of the operations affected by the provisions of this chapter shall have a reasonable time within which to change the method of their operations when, by the terms of this chapter, such changes become necessary. (Ord. 400, § 7, 5/2/1961) § 651-1 through 6511-1.