ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/STAFF REPORTS
34.	QUARTERLY CARMEL RIVER EROSION PROTECTION AND RESTORATION PROJECTS REPORT
Meeting Date:			January 29, 2009	Budgeted:	N/A
From:			Darby Fuerst	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 December 4, 2008, the Carmel River Advisory Committee held a Regular Meeting at which Philip Yenovkian, from the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services, gave an overview of the County’s 2008-09 winter storm preparedness plan. Many of the County’s activities will center on areas affected by the 2008 Basin Complex Fire in the Los Padres National Forest, including some portions of the upper Carmel Valley watershed. Final minutes of this meeting will be provided to the MPWMD Board of Directors under Committee Reports in a future Board packet (see Informational Items in monthly Board packets).

State Proposition 50/84/1E Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Grant Program: District staff are continuing to work with representatives of the six IRWM planning regions along the Central Coast and with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary to identify water resource strategies and projects that would benefit the entire Central Coast hydrologic unit (coastal watersheds and inland areas from Santa Cruz County to the Santa Barbara County line). Recently, the group reviewed the draft Regional Acceptance Process (RAP) guidelines promulgated by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR). The RAP is the first step DWR will use to evaluate and accept an IRWM region into the grant program. Based on a review of the draft guidelines by staff, DWR is likely to require a significant volume of written material in order to review proposed planning region boundaries prior to acceptance. DWR intends to finalize its decisions on IRWM regions in April 2009.

Carmel River Lagoon and State Beach Management: MPWMD staff continue to monitor conditions at the lagoon and Carmel River State Beach. However, due to lack of inflow, no action to manage the beach has yet been required.

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