Contact EPA Pacific Southwest Water Division
Pacific Southwest, Region 9
Serving: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Islands, Tribal Nations
Dredging and Sediment Management
Humboldt Open Ocean Dredged Site (HOODS)
The HOODS was established as a permanent ocean dredged material disposal site in 1995 for Humboldt Bay and the north coast of California. It was used by the Corps of Engineers as an interim site beginning in the fall of 1990.
Prior to 1990, disposal occurred closer to the Humboldt Bay entrance channel, but concerns about mounding of material at that location affecting waves (and possibly the safety of vessels leaving and entering the Bay) led EPA to establish the new site in deeper water farther from the Bay entrance channel.
Disposal Site Information
- Ocean Dumping; Designation of Site Final Rule Sept. 28, 1995
- Site Management and Monitoring Plans (SMMP) (PDF) (21 pp, 1.8M About PDF)
| Location | Approximately 3 nautical miles offshore of Eureka, CA |
| Corner Coordinates | 40° 48' 24" N by 124° 16' 22" W (NAD 83) 40° 49' 03" N by 124° 17' 22" W 40° 47' 38" N by 124° 17' 13" W 40° 48' 17" N by 124° 18' 13" W |
| Water Depth | 160-180 feet (49 -55 meters) |
| Size | 1 square nautical mile (3 square kilometers) |
| Shape | Square, divided into quadrants (See map) |
| Disposal Zone | Inner cells of the disposal site, see the map for details |
| Volume Limit | No annual disposal volume limit |
Contact Information
Allan Ota (ota.allan@epa.gov)
Oceanographer / Regional Ocean Dumping Coordinator
(415) 972-3476