Quarterly
Water Supply Strategy Report: October-December 2003
September
15, 2003
1. Management Objectives
The
District desires to maximize the long-term production potential, protect the
environmental quality of the Seaside and Carmel Valley basins, and meet the
regulations in the Section 4(d) Rule adopted by the National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), which prohibits, “removing water or otherwise altering
streamflow when it significantly impairs spawning, migration, feeding, or other
essential behavioral patterns [of steelhead].” To accomplish these goals, a water supply strategy and budget for
production within the Cal-Am water distribution system is reviewed quarterly to
determine the optimal strategy for operations, given the current hydrologic and
system conditions.
2. Quarterly
Water Supply Strategy: October - December 2003
On
September 3, 2003, staff from the District, Cal-Am, and NMFS met to discuss the
proposed water supply strategy for the October-December 2003 period. As noted previously, representatives from
the District, Cal-Am, CDFG and the NMFS met on April 30, 2003, to negotiate the
2003 Memorandum of Agreement (2003 MOA) that governs the releases and
diversions from Los Padres and San Clemente Reservoirs during the May-December
2003 period. Accordingly, the diversion
and release rates specified for the October-December 2003 Water Supply Strategy
and Budget are consistent with the terms and assumed inflow conditions in the 2003
MOA. Actual inflows may be
significantly less than projected, if so, the group will reconvene and adjust
the release rates accordingly.
Based
on the runoff that has occurred since the beginning of WY 2003, the group
agreed to set the projected unimpaired monthly flows at San Clemente Dam for
October, November and December equal to median historical (1958-2002)
levels. Accordingly, Table 1
shows a monthly breakdown of the diversion and release schedule under the
assumed median inflow conditions. Table 1 shows expected inflows,
outflows, and storage volumes at Los Padres and San Clemente Reservoirs for the
October-December 2003 period. For this
analysis, it was assumed that Cal-Am would divert no water via direct diversion
from San Clemente Reservoir to the Carmel Valley Filter Plant, consistent with
the 4d rules adopted by the NMFS to protect steelhead, State Water Resources
Control Board Order WRO 2002-0002 and the Conservation Agreement between NMFS
and Cal-Am, which governs diversions during the low-flow period. As described above, the low-flow period is
defined as times when streamflow in the Carmel River at the MPWMD gage at Don
Juan Bridge is less than 20 cfs for five consecutive days, which occurred during
the second week of July 2003. Based on projected inflows, streamflow is
expected to be less than the 20 cfs threshold in October and November. In
December, inflows are expected to increase above the threshold, but the timing
of this event and the continuance of the San Clemente Reservoir Interim
Drawdown Project into December are expected to preclude any significant change
in operations.
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