Humboldt Bay Water District Board Packet Covers Spillway, Staffing Plans

The Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District released a 230-page board packet ahead of its March 12 meeting, covering three substantive operational matters: a Ruth Spillway update, an informational memorandum on proposed employee handbook changes, and a succession plan.

The packet offered no public summary of what the spillway update contained, what handbook policies would be affected, or which positions the succession plan addressed. Those details remained inside the full document, which HBMWD posted in advance of the board session.

The Ruth Spillway item drew the most structural weight among the three. Spillway infrastructure at water district facilities typically involves maintenance, regulatory compliance, or flow management considerations, though the packet provided no further description in its published announcement. The employee handbook memorandum was described as informational, suggesting the board was being briefed rather than asked to vote on changes at this meeting. The succession plan's scope, including which roles it covers and over what timeline, was not specified in the packet's public-facing materials.

The district's relationship with neighboring McKinleyville Community Services District has been a recurring thread in regional water governance. McKinleyville CSD's own financial records show two large payments to HBMWD labeled "WTR PURCHASED": $113,524.17 on January 4, 2024, and $105,702.13 on December 6, 2023. McKinleyville CSD directors Mayo and Couch had also been tracked to an HBMWD meeting on February 12, 2024, focused on Instream Flow Dedication, a topic with implications for water availability across Humboldt County.

At a McKinleyville CSD board meeting around that same period, General Manager Kaspari introduced Colleen Trask as the district's Interim Finance Director while a permanent Finance Director search continued. Director Mayo also reported plans to attend Senator McGuire's swearing-in as speaker pro-tem and the ACWA DC Conference, where he was scheduled to meet with federal contacts on water-related legislative matters.

The HBMWD board meeting took place March 12, five days before this report. Board actions and outcomes from that session have not yet been made public through the district's official channels.