Land-based seafood firm Nordic Aquafarms has submitted its first permit application for the construction of its new land-based salmon farm in Humboldt, California, the company said on Tuesday.
The company submitted its NPDES permit application for a discharge permit, to the Regional Water Quality Control Board.
The discharge from the farm will be sent through an already existing pipe into open waters where effective dilution is achieved, with no impairment of waters identified, the company said.
As with its Maine land-based project, Nordic Aquafarms removes 99 percent of particles and most nutrients before discharge. Nitrogen is reduced by more than 85 percent, it said.
In addition, microfiltration is applied with strong UV doses to enable the highest biosecurity levels in the industry on both intake and discharge.
"Ninety-nine percent of the water in our system is recycled and continuously treated. The remaining 1 percent is thoroughly treated before it is discharged. These are the highest standards in the industry for discharge to receiving waters, and in Nordic Aquafarms' view the future of ocean stewardship," the company said.
“Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been able to make good progress in California," said Executive Vice President of Nordic Aquafarms Inc. Marianne Naess, who is in charge of the Humboldt project. The last of the permits for the California project are expected to be submitted in November, Naess said.
“California is the second critical piece of our bi-coastal US strategy,” said President of Nordic Aquafarms Erik Heim. “In both Maine and California Nordic Aquafarms will create over 150 full-time jobs in addition to 250-300 construction jobs from our projects. Jobs like these in sustainable industries are important contributions to post COVID-19 economic recovery and US food security."
The Nordic Aquafarms group has operations in Norway under its Fredrikstad Seafood subsidiary, and is in the process of developing a land-based salmon site in Maine, United States.
