Background

Humboldt County is traditionally one of the wettest counties in the state. Many communities in our region are still vulnerable to significant drought impacts. This page is intended to provide information about Senate Bill 552 (SB 552) and the drought resources available to the public.

Drought is a hazard in Humboldt County, and the impacts of drought can be damaging. In order to mitigate the impact of drought on Humboldt County and to reduce drought and water shortage related risks, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors nominated a Drought Task Force on May 25, 2021. 

What is Senate Bill 552?

In September 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 552 (Hertzberg), which assigned new responsibilities and requirements at the State of California (State) and local levels to help small water suppliers and rural communities reduce their risks of inadequate water supply amid a water shortage event. A water shortage event could be caused by droughts or other emergencies such as wildfires, earthquakes, floods, and other local emergencies.

What is a Drought Task Force?

SB 552 requires counties to establish a standing task force that facilitates drought and water shortage preparedness for state small water systems and domestic wells within each county’s jurisdiction. The Drought Task Force supports the development of the Drought Resilience Plan, for consideration by the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors. 

The Humboldt County Drought Task Force includes County Staff from the Division of Environmental Health, Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services, and Planning Department. Ad hoc members include the Forest Advisor and Humboldt - Del Norte County Director for UC Cooperative Extension, and the Humboldt County Agricultural Commissioner.

What is a Drought Resilience Plan?

SB 552 requires counties to prepare a County Drought Resilience Plan (County DRP) to achieve meaningful and long-term improvements in water resilience for their residents. Each county plan includes information about available data and tools compiled by state agencies, short-term response actions, long-term mitigation strategy and actions, and other drought supporting capacities. SB 552 provides the flexibility for counties to develop a County DRP as one stand-alone plan, or as a collection of existing county plans, such as a LHMP (Local Hazard Mitigation Plan), emergency operations plan, climate action plan, or general plan. A County DRP is meant to support a county in facilitating drought and water shortage preparedness for state small water systems and domestic wells within a county’s jurisdiction. The County DRP is currently being updated to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1 AA).   If you have difficulty accessing any of the County of Humboldt’s digital materials, please call 707-268-23500 or email oes@co.humboldt.ca.us, who will either correct the problem or provide the information in an alternative format.

Public Comment: The draft of the County's DRP is available for public comment. Please fill out the Humboldt County Drought Task Force: Drought Resiliency Plan Public Comment Form to share your comments related to the drought and water shortage related risks and its impacts in Humboldt County. Your input will help inform our efforts to reduce risks and enhance community resilience.

Learn More

Keep up to date on what the Drought Task Force is doing and get the latest news updates by viewing and signing up for the Humboldt County Drought Task Force News Flash.

Feel free to attend any of the Drought Task Force public meetings. View at the Humboldt County Drought Task Calendar and sign up to be notified about upcoming meetings so you won't miss a thing.

On Oct. 22, 2024, at the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors meeting, the Humboldt County Drought Task Force provided a report on the region's ongoing efforts to address drought and water shortage preparedness and gain compliance with California Senate Bill 552 (SB 552). The Task Force has been actively working on both short- and long-term solutions to ensure Humboldt County is equipped to handle future water challenges.