How visible would the wind turbines be while within Wigi/Humboldt Bay?
If the proposed Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal (1) is constructed and becomes operational, wind turbines would be very visible within Wigi (2)/Humboldt Bay. The wind turbines could be upwards of 900 feet tall, and would be constructed on the Samoa Peninsula north of the Samoa Pulp Mill and south of the Samoa Bridge. The tallest structure in Humboldt County is currently the Samoa Pulp Mill, which stands 280 feet tall and is visible around the Bay. Click here to learn more about the proposed Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal.
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Offshore wind turbines would be constructed vertically at the Heavy Lift Marine Terminal, placed vertically on top of floating foundations, and then placed in Wigi/Humboldt Bay. Once in the Bay, the turbines would either be towed directly out the mouth of the Bay or placed in temporary “wet storage” in the Bay while waiting for better ocean conditions. In either case, the turbines would be highly visible until they leave the mouth of the Bay and make the trip to their final destination offshore, such that there may be several turbines waiting in the Bay at any given time during the multi-year construction of the proposed Humboldt offshore wind farms. Turbines may also periodically have to be transported back to Wigi/Humboldt Bay for maintenance.
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On July 23, 2024, the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation & Conservation District held a special meeting at the Wharfinger Building in Eureka to unveil visual simulations (3) of what the wind turbines would look like while being assembled at the terminal on the Samoa Peninsula. The visual simulations include a sequence of views of various stages of development. The images below show maximal activity at full build-out (excluding wet storage), though the link above also shows simulations of more typical days during initial operational phases. Future simulations may include wet storage, which would generate additional visual impacts beyond what is shown below. Analysis of visual impacts is required by the California Environmental Quality Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. Click here to learn more about what the wind turbines would look like once deployed in the Humboldt Wind Energy Area (4) 20 miles offshore, and take a look at the visualizations below:
![Visualization of the proposed Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal from the Eureka Waterfront, looking west](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/edfe67_16b80dc0b82d4031b41c757c3d5a036e~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_654,h_291,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Screen%20Shot%202024-08-06%20at%2011_49_15%20AM.png)
FROM THE EUREKA WATERFRONT
Visualization of maximal activity at full build-out (not including wet storage) of the proposed Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal from the Eureka Waterfront, looking west from 0.6 miles away.
Source: Humboldt Bay Harbor District (5)
![Visualization of the proposed Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal from the Arcata Marsh, looking southwest](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/edfe67_639737753d534b80980918ac40a362e6~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_477,h_291,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Screen%20Shot%202024-08-06%20at%2011_50_33%20AM.png)
FROM THE ARCATA MARSH
Visualization of maximal activity at full build-out (not including wet storage) of the proposed Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal from the Arcata Marsh, looking southwest from 4.86 miles away.
Source: Humboldt Bay Harbor District (5)
![Visualization of the proposed Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal from Manila Park, looking south](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/edfe67_7c5d81f479ee4772a4d83037c3c58503~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_478,h_291,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Screen%20Shot%202024-08-06%20at%2011_52_31%20AM.png)
FROM MANILA PARK
Visualization of maximal activity at full build-out (not including wet storage) of the proposed Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal from Manila Park, looking south from 2.25 miles away.
Source: Humboldt Bay Harbor District (5)
![Visualization of the proposed Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal from the USS Milwaukee Memorial, looking](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/edfe67_1bc08ee82a2945d09e34accfd3a5e2de~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_487,h_291,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Screen%20Shot%202024-08-06%20at%2011_53_45%20AM.png)
FROM THE USS MILWAUKEE MEMORIAL
Visualization of maximal activity at full build-out (not including wet storage) of the proposed Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal from the USS Milwaukee Memorial, looking east from 0.06 miles away.
Source: Humboldt Bay Harbor District (5)
![Visualization of the proposed Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal from Fort Humboldt State Park, looking no](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/edfe67_8bea7cacbcb94770b91710b413102169~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_476,h_291,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Screen%20Shot%202024-08-06%20at%2011_54_54%20AM.png)
FROM FORT HUMBOLDT STATE PARK
Visualization of maximal activity at full build-out (not including wet storage) of the proposed Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal from Fort Humboldt State Park, looking north from 2 miles away.
Source: Humboldt Bay Harbor District (5)
![Visualization of the proposed Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal from Table Bluff State Park, looking nort](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/edfe67_0c4050cd80c84511a0cec692d97e2dc5~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_478,h_291,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Screen%20Shot%202024-08-06%20at%2011_56_10%20AM.png)
FROM TABLE BLUFF COUNTY PARK
Visualization of maximal activity at full build-out (not including wet storage) of the proposed Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal from Table Bluff State Park, looking north from 8.5 miles away.
Source: Humboldt Bay Harbor District (5)
Click here to watch a recording of the information provided at the Harbor District meeting (5), including context and background on the project:
To see just the visualizations, click here to watch a recording (6) created by the Lost Coast Outpost.
References​
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Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation & Conservation District. (2024). Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project. https://humboldtbay.org/humboldt-bay-offshore-wind-heavy-lift-marine-terminal-project-3
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Wiyot Tribe. (n.d.). Wiyot Placename Video [Video]. www.wiyot.us/162/Wiyot-Placename-Video
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Vanderheiden, I. (2024, July 25). (VIDEO) See What Wind Turbine Assembly Would Look Like on Humboldt Bay, Courtesy of This Presentation From the Harbor District. Lost Coast Outpost. https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2024/jul/25/offshore-wind-simulation/
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U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. (n.d.). Humboldt Wind Energy Area. U.S. Department of the Interior. www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/humboldt-wind-energy-area
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Humboldt Bay Harbor District. (2024, July 24). Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Terminal: Visual Simulations: Public Mtg Recording (240724) [Video]. YouTube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TapB3WjU6Y
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Holmlund, R. (2024, July 25). How Will Turbines Change Humboldt’s Views? [Video]. Lost Coast Outpost. https://lostcoastoutpost.com/videos/2024/jul/25/how-will-wind-turbines-change-humboldts-views/