Arcata council delays water fix, reviews rental inspection program

Arcata gave Bob Figas a short reprieve on a failing backflow prevention assembly at 4600 West End Road, choosing to wait two more weeks before sending city crews in to abate the problem and bill the owner. Figas told the council parts were scheduled to arrive May 21 and showed proof of the order, while city staff said the annual test had failed in February and that multiple notices had already gone out.

The timeline made the case a little more than a routine nuisance file. A Notice of Nuisance was mailed February 19 and recorded with the County Clerk Recorder, then a Notice to Abate Nuisance followed by certified mail March 30 after repair attempts and retesting did not solve the problem. City staff said the failed assembly could allow sediment to enter the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District supply, turning a private-property maintenance issue into a public water concern.

That concern fits Arcata’s broader backflow rules. The city says its Water Division tests about 500 backflow prevention devices each year, and it treats cross-connections and backflow prevention as safeguards against accidental pollution of the drinking water system. Arcata purchases its water from the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District, which is why staff framed the failed device as a supply risk rather than a nuisance confined to one parcel.

The same council meeting also brought an update on the city’s Residential Rental Inspection Program, now in its third year of development and rollout. Joe Bishop, the city’s building official, said code-enforcement complaints are close to nonexistent, but he also said the program remains complicated and may still need adjustments.

The structure of the program is what gives it teeth. Arcata says it applies to all one- and two-family rental units, while exempting multi-family apartments, mobile home parks and new construction within the last five years. Owners must register, secure business and rental licenses, and pay the required fees. The council presentation puts those costs at a $20 annual registration fee and a $73.29 inspection fee every three years.

The city’s materials say the program was approved unanimously March 1 and is intended to address substandard long-term rental properties and preserve neighborhood quality and housing conditions. Arcata says the latest draft followed five Working Group meetings, public input, conversations with the Arcata Fire Department and additional staff work. Registration is set to open July 3 through a dedicated online platform, signaling another stage in the city’s effort to standardize housing enforcement while keeping the process workable for landlords and tenants alike.