Noyo River


The Noyo River is a river on the north coast of California in Mendocino County. The river's headwaters are in the steep Mendocino Range, but downstream the river flows through gently sloping marine terraces before draining into the Pacific Ocean. The watershed extends east to the small city of Willits and the river's mouth is at Noyo Harbor in Fort Bragg, which uses the river for drinking water; it is neighbored on the south by the Big River, on the east by the South Fork Eel River, and on the north by Ten Mile River, named for its distance from the Noyo River. The average annual rainfall is between and.
In the language of the Pomo people the Noyo River was called tee'mli-bida or Chemli-bida; the name "Noyo" referred to a village several miles north, on Pudding Creek, and by extension to the creek itself. European settlers transferred the name from Pudding Creek to the larger river to the south. The name Pudding Creek is thought to be a corruption of put-in creek - a term used by sailors to identify the uniquely sheltered mouth of the Noyo River. The two names were switched in the 1855 Coast Survey report.
The watershed has been logged for timber since the 19th century. Historical logging practices, particularly widespread clear-cutting, caused severe erosion, which led to excessive sediment buildup in the river and its tributaries. In addition, large woody debris that trapped sediment was removed from the streambed to improve flows. Noyo River estuary is recognized for protection by the California Bays and Estuaries Policy. In 1998, the river was listed as sediment impaired by the State of California North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. The watershed is slowly improving, but it is far from full recovery.
Timber production continues to be the primary land use in the watershed. About half of the land is owned by Mendocino Redwood Company and Hawthorne Timber Company, which bought its land from Georgia Pacific in 1999. Jackson Demonstration State Forest, owned by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, makes up about one fifth of the watershed. The rest of the land is split into smaller parcels, such as ranches and private residences. Public land is largely limited to the state forest.

Ecology

Aside from use for navigation, recreation and municipal and industrial water supply for the city of Fort Bragg, the river provides groundwater recharge and wildlife habitat including cold freshwater habitat for fish migration and spawning. Three anadromous fish species inhabit the Noyo River: steelhead, coho salmon, and chinook salmon, which are all listed under the Endangered Species Act. Steelhead and chinook are listed as threatened, and coho listed as endangered. Non-salmonid species in the watershed include the three-spined stickleback, Pacific lamprey, and sculpin.
Birds of special concern include the marbled murrelet and northern spotted owl because of their close association with old- growth and mature redwood forest, which has been heavily impacted by timber harvest since the late 19th century.
Eighty-two mammal species are predicted to be found in the Noyo River watershed including several rodents, bats, and squirrels, beaver, black bear, ring-tailed cat, American marten, fisher, weasels, American badger, western spotted skunk and striped skunk, mountain lion, bobcat, seals and sea lions, mule deer, and elk. However, recent surveys have found no fishers or martens.

Bridges

At least six bridges span the river, including:
There are at least 20 California Western Railroad crossings of the river visible in aerial photos.
The Noyo River Bridge, which opened in 2005, replaced a steel deck truss bridge that was built in 1948. State Route 1 is known as the Shoreline Highway or Pacific Coast Highway but within the Fort Bragg city limits it is concurrent with that town's Main Street and signed as such. Originally proposed in 1998, the bridge was redesigned with railings that allow scenic views to be seen from the bridge after local protest.