ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/STAFF REPORTS
25.	QUARTERLY CARMEL RIVER EROSION PROTECTION AND RESTORATION PROJECTS REPORT
Meeting Date:			April 16, 2007	Budgeted:	N/A
From:			David A. Berger,	Program/	N/A
			General Manager	Line Item No.:
Prepared By:			Larry Hampson	Cost Estimate:	N/A
General Counsel Approval: N/A
Committee Recommendation: N/A
CEQA Compliance: N/A

Carmel River Advisory Committee Meeting: On February 8, 2007, the Carmel River Advisory Committee held a Regular Meeting. Minutes from that meeting will be made available in a future Board packet, following their approval at the next Committee meeting, scheduled for May 3, 2007.

State Proposition 50/84/1E Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Grant Program: The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), the agencies responsible for administering the IRWM grant program, recently made significant changes to the grant program including:

· Approval of funding of additional “Round 1” Prop. 50 IRWM implementation grants throughout California to agencies that were not initially funded, but had qualified to be considered in the final grant selection process (Step 2 of Round 1);

· Approval of a proposal to conduct an expedited “Round 2” of implementation grants. The schedule for Round 2 has not been announced.

These changes affect the amount of Prop. 50 project funds potentially available to the Monterey Peninsula area and the process for obtaining those funds. DWR staff indicated that approximately $14 million to $15 million would be available to Northern California agencies in a competitive grant process.

In response to these changes, District staff (David Berger, Andy Bell, and Larry Hampson) recently participated in several meetings and conference calls with agencies responsible for IRWM Planning in the Central Coast Region, which includes watersheds draining to the Pacific Ocean between Northern Santa Cruz County and Santa Barbara County. The Central Coast Region developed a draft set of principles to guide IRWM on the Central Coast and conveyed comments to DWR and SWRCB for consideration at the March 20, 2007 SWRCB meeting. There are six Central Coast Region IRWM planning areas with adopted or draft IRWM Plans including:

· Pajaro River Watershed Integrated Regional Water Management Plan

· Northern Santa Cruz County Integrated Regional Water Management Plan

· Salinas Valley Integrated Regional Water Management Plan

· Monterey Peninsula, Carmel Bay and South Monterey Bay Integrated Regional Water Management Plan

· San Luis Obispo County Integrated Regional Water Management Plan

· Santa Barbara County Integrated Regional Water Management Plan

The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) appointed by stakeholders for developing the MPWMD-sponsored IRWM Plan met on March 28, 2007 to finalize the project prioritization process. An additional meeting is scheduled for mid-April to complete a project list.

At their March 26, 2007 meeting, the Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA) approved entering into a reimbursement agreement with MPWMD to conduct an update of the Canyon Del Rey Master Drainage Plan. MCWRA and MPWMD staff will finalize the agreement and MPWMD will contract with a consultant for the work. The update will become part of the IRWM Plan for the Region.

Carmel River Beach and Lagoon Management: On March 8, 2007, the District released the Carmel River Lagoon Technical Advisory Committee, Study Plan for Long Term Adaptive Management for the Carmel River Beach and Lagoon, Draft, March 6, 2007, 39 pp. (1.5 Mb PDF). District staff presented the Draft Study Plan to the District Board of Directors at their March 19, 2007 meeting. Written comments on the plan were received from the California Coastal Commission, the Carmel River Steelhead Association, the Carmel River Watershed Conservancy, the Carmel River Lagoon Coalition, the Homeowners for Effective Lagoon Management, and the Carmel Point and Lagoon Preservation Association. Comments focused primarily on developing an interim approach to management, establishing an institutional structure for completing a management plan, and developing a schedule for completing the plan.

District staff continued in its role as facilitator of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) formed to help mange the lagoon and barrier beach at Carmel River State Beach. On March 26, 2007, State Department of Parks and Recreation personnel excavated an outlet channel through the beach over the southern bedrock outcrop to allow the lagoon to drain slowly. District staff obtained a profile and cross-sections of the channel to document the work. It is hoped that this channel will result in more water remaining in the lagoon for the remainder of the spring.

District staff presented the comments received on the on the Draft Study Plan to the TAC at their March 30, 2007 meeting for consideration and input. MPWMD set a goal of finalizing the document by mid-April 2007.

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