Having hit a roadblock in negotiations with the City of Trinidad, the Trinidad Rancheria has turned a beseeching eye toward the county’s largest water supplier — the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District (HBMWD) — in hopes of securing a reliable water source for future development, including a controversial five-story, 100-room hotel near Cher-Ae Heights Casino.

On June 4, Tribal Chairman Garth Sundberg sent a letter on behalf of the Rancheria to HBMWD General Manager John Friedenbach formally requesting government-to-government consultation on the matter.