Public Notice: Lighthouse Road PM 3.6 -- 2023 Storm Damage 

Project # 222160

FINAL PUBLIC NOTICE

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has received a subgrant application for Humboldt County, CA. Pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 11988 and 44 CFR Part 9.12, final notice is hereby given of FEMA’s intent to provide funding for this project under the Public Assistance Grant Program (PA).

An initial disaster-wide Public Notice for DR-4699-CA was published 11/1/2023. Funding for the proposed project will be conditional upon compliance with all applicable federal, tribal, state, and local laws, regulations, floodplain standards, permit requirements and conditions.

Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), federal actions must be reviewed and evaluated for feasible alternatives and for social, economic, historic, environmental, legal, and safety considerations. EO 11988 and EO 11990 requires FEMA to consider alternatives and provide a public notice of any proposed actions in or affecting floodplains or wetlands. This notice may also fulfill requirements under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).

This notice serves as a project‐specific final notice for FEMA’s funding action located within a Special Flood Hazard Area. FEMA has determined the only practicable alternative is to fund the repairs of Lighthouse Road with bioengineering methods, as well as repairing the guard railing and components of the Holmes Flat Road bridge in-kind. This action complies with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requirements. There is a potential for the facility to be impacted by future flooding events due to its location within the A Flood Zone. The proposed work will take place in wetlands per the United States Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory and will have little potential to impact or affect wetland values.

Applicant: Humboldt County 

Project Title: PW 223; GM 723956; Lighthouse Rd.

Location of Proposed Work and Floodplain Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) Panels:

Facility                                                                       GPS                                                               FIRM Panels                                                    FIRM Date

Lighthouse Rd.                                            40.289724, -124.3321037                                         06023C1565G                                                     6/21/2017

Holmes Flat Rd. Bridge                               40.41050, -123.92885                                               06023C1470F                                                   11/04/2016

Proposed Work and Purpose: The applicant will repair a section of heavily eroded Lighthouse Road along the Mattole River near Petrolia, Humboldt County, California, due to excessive rainfall and replace a damaged bridge guardrail and its support at Holmes Flat Rd. near Holmes, due to a fallen tree during the severe weather event between 2/21/2023 and 7/10/2023. The project will include, Site 1: a) repairing a 485-foot-long by 10-foot-wide by 10-foot-deep embankment with bioengineering riprap hazard mitigation project at start (40.29003, -124.33156), and end (40.28972, -124.33223) using 5,164 CY rocks in different classes, 394CY native soil, and 746 SY slope protection fabric; b) repairing a 265-foot-long by 15-foot-wideby 12-inch-deep gravel road at start (40.28972, -124.33223), and end (40.28942, -124.33312)using 718 CY aggregate base surface; and Site 2: replacing guard rail 3.5-inch x 3.5-inchstructural tube railing, 138-foot-long and associated components (40.41050, -123.92885) back to pre-disaster design, function, and capacity within the existing footprint

Project Alternatives:

(1) (No Action) This alternative is not feasible as the repairs are necessary to ensure that the road and bridge remains operational in its current location to perform its designed function. The road and bridge provide ingress/egress, school bus and postal services and access for emergency personnel. With the no action alternative, continued negative impacts may be experienced.

(2) (Relocation) Relocating the facilities will require rerouting roadways, potentially altering public access to certain properties, and disproportionately affecting property-owners as land is seized for the construction of the new route. The damages to the facilities are limited in scope and the cost of relocation would likely outweigh the cost to repair the damages at current locations. Floodplain avoidance by relocating the facilities is not a practicable alternative and would adversely impact social or economic resources for the community.

Comments: This will serve as the final public notice regarding the above‐described action funded by the FEMA Public Assistance program. Interested persons may submit comments, questions, or request a map of this specific project by writing to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region 9, 1111 Broadway #1200, Oakland, CA 94607, or by emailing FEMA-RIX-EHP-Documents@fema.dhs.gov . Comments should be sent in writing with the subject line “PW 223; GM 723956; Lighthouse Rd.” at the above address within 15 days of the date of this notice.

THIS NOTICE MAY BE REMOVED FROM PUBLIC VIEW ON THE 15th DAY FROM ORIGINAL DATE OF POSTING.

NOTICE WAS POSTED ON                   9th                    DAY OF         December                     2025

***END OF NOTICE***