Agriculture & Cannabis
The staff at HELIX are environmental compliance experts with specialized knowledge in the ever-evolving regulations impacting cannabis cultivation, vineyard management, and other agricultural operations.
Cannabis Environmental Compliance
Since 2016, HELIX has helped local agencies, cannabis cultivators, processors, and dispensaries throughout California bring cannabis operations into compliance with state and local regulations. HELIX provides a wide range of cannabis environmental compliance services including development of site management plans, watershed protection plans, biological and cultural resources reports, site restoration plans, County and State permit applications, lake and streambed alteration agreements, filings with the Water Boards, and agency consultation.
From regulations aimed to protect waters from harmful agricultural practices, and legislation creating a licensing and regulatory framework for cannabis operations, HELIX stays abreast of this rapidly evolving environment, helping local governments and private entities navigate the often complicated processes.
Our full suite of services for cannabis environmental compliance includes:
- Biological site assessments
- Cultural resources site assessments
- Site plan/plot plan preparation
- Watershed protection plans
- Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) Notice of Intent (NOI) applications
- RWQCB stormwater permits and water quality certifications
- RWQCB cannabis cultivation area tier determinations
- Site management plans
- US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) permits
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) streambed alteration agreements
- Wetland determinations
- Endangered species surveys
- Local government assistance (assistance to both cultivators and local government agencies)
- California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) documentation (site specific and regional planning level documentation)
- Construction and mitigation monitoring
- Habitat restoration and site restoration plans
For more information or to discuss environmental compliance for your cannabis project, please contact Pat Britton, Regional Manager, at 916.435.1202.
ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE EXPERTS
HELIX has extensive experience in successfully obtaining regulatory approvals for agriculture, vineyard management, and cannabis cultivation projects and understands the importance of assuring that regulatory procedures are rigorously followed to satisfy compliance requirements and avoid delays. With core service areas including the environmental compliance documents and regulatory permitting services, HELIX has successfully prepared hundreds of CEQA documents over its 30-year history. This ranges from Categorical Exemptions/Exclusions (CEs) and simple Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MNDs), to complex Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) and Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) for very large-scale and controversial projects. HELIX also prepares many of the technical studies that are needed to support these documents and permit processes, and we advise our clients on environmental compliance before, during, and after project implementation.