Drinking Water Test Well
Summary
SCH Number
2026091183
Public Agency
Crescent City
Document Title
Drinking Water Test Well
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
9/28/2026
Document Description
The City is looking to install a test well in order to determine the feasibility of a municipal well as
Name of Public Agency a backup supply to their existing water source. The test well is anticipated to be approximately 150 feet in depth. As part of the construction of the test well a pump test would be completed to assess the capacity of the well, determine effects on adjacent wells, and collect water quality samples for submittal to an analytical laboratory for water quality analysis. If the pump test and water quality results indicate that the well is viable as a supply well, then, as a separate project, design of the well pump, headworks, and tie-in into the City's water system would commence. If the pump test and water quality results indicate that the well is not viable as a supply well, the test well would be destroyed per California well regulation requirements.
Contact Information
Name
Bob Brown
Agency Name
City of Crescent City
Job Title
Contract Planning Director
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Name
David Yeager
Agency Name
City of Crescent City
Job Title
Public Works Director
Contact Types
Project Applicant
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Crescent City
Counties
Del Norte
Regions
Countywide, Northern California, Unincorporated
Cross Streets
Off Rellim Rd and approximately ½ mile south of the Smith River
Zip
95531
Parcel #
105-260-011-000
Waterways
Smith River
Other Location Info
APN 105-260-011-000, off Rellim Rd, north of the chlorination building, approximately ½ mile south of the Smith River.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
14 CCR § 15306 Class 6: Information Collection and 14 CCR § 15304 Class 4: Minor Alterations to Land
Reasons for Exemption
Class 6: Information Collection (14 CCR § 15306). The test well is designed strictly to gather hydrological data (e.g., flow rate, water quality, and drawdown impact) rather than operating as a permanent production well. Drilling involves minimal surface disruption and testing is temporary,
Class 4: Minor Alterations to Land (14 CCR § 15304). This covers the physical act of drilling, grading a temporary pad, or trenching required to conduct the test. The Project does not remove healthy, mature trees or impact sensitive environments such as wetlands.
The project will be located on a site that has had past disturbances, is already graded and contains no habitat for rare, threatened, or endangered species or wetlands. The site is surrounded by and is already adequately served by utilities and public services and will not result in traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality impacts. Standard City operational safeguards will ensure complete on-site containment of all project elements. Drilling muds and cuttings will be managed within an above-ground, closed-loop system with zero ground discharge. Temporary pump-test water will be retained on-site for sediment settling and managed via standard Best Management Practices (BMPs) to prevent surface runoff or erosion, ensuring complete protection of any nearby biological and hydrological resources. None of the exceptions to categorical exemptions set forth in CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2 apply.
No permanent municipal water infrastructure, pipeline connections, or longterm operational groundwater extractions are authorized under this approval. Any potential future conversion to a production well is completely independent of this data-gathering step, remains contingent upon the hydrogeologic results retrieved, and will be subject to subsequent, separate project-level CEQA review.
County Clerk
Del Norte
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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