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ITEM:
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INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/STAFF
REPORTS
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18.
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CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 2010
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Meeting Date:
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October 18, 2010
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Budgeted:
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N/A
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From:
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Darby Fuerst,
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Program/
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N/A
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General Manager
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Line Item No.:
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Prepared By:
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Cory Hamilton
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Cost Estimate:
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N/A
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General Counsel Review: N/A
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Committee Recommendation: N/A
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CEQA Compliance: N/A
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AQUATIC HABITAT AND FLOW
CONDITIONS: During September 2010, Carmel River
streamflow conditions for fish migration were inadequate for adults and smolts,
but remained adequate for juveniles. The
mainstem Carmel River
provided sufficient habitat conditions for juveniles down to approximately the
vicinity of Rancho
San Carlos Bridge
(River Mile 3.86). From the Rancho
San Carlos Bridge
to the Via Mallorca Bridge, habitat conditions were degraded as flows continued
to decrease and stretches of the river in the Rancho Canada Golf Course area to
the Lagoon became intermittent.
During September 2010, the mean
daily streamflow recorded at the District’s Carmel River
at Sleepy Hollow Weir gaging station averaged 12.9 cubic-feet per second (cfs) and
ranged from 12 to 17 cfs. Unimpaired
runoff at San Clemente Dam (SCD) for the month of September 2010 was 617
AF. Unimpaired runoff at SCD for Water
Year (WY) 2010, has totaled 98,419 AF or about 143% of the long-term annual
average of 68,630 AF. During September
2010, 0.01 inches of rainfall was recorded at California American Water’s (CAW)
SCD. The rainfall total for WY 2010 is 27.46
inches, which is 129% of the long-term annual average of 21.34 inches.
CARMEL RIVER LAGOON: During September 2010, the lagoon’s water-surface
elevation (WSE) ranged from approximately 3.6 to 6.21 feet above mean sea level
(see graph below). Water quality was sampled on September 3,
2010. Data from this sampling shows that
the salinity and dissolved oxygen measurements were adequate for steelhead
rearing down to approximately 2 meters of depth. Water temperature ranged from 66 to 70
degrees Fahrenheit (ºF) throughout the vertical column. Water temperatures
above 68ºF are considered to be stressful to steelhead. The increase in water
elevation at the end of the month was due to saltwater wave over-wash,
as freshwater inflows had declined to near zero.
FISH RESCUE: Fish
rescues began on July 28, 2010 at the Highway 1 Bridge and ended on
September 9, 2010 at CAW’s San Carlos
well, at River Mile 3.7. A total of
3,858 fish were rescued, 3,544 young-of-year, 299 yearlings and 15 mortalities. Staff transferred 1,950 fish to the Sleepy Hollow
Steelhead Rearing Facility, 1,859 were released into the Lagoon and 34 were
released at Garland
Park.
SLEEPY HOLLOW STEELHEAD REARING
FACILITY: All fish brought
into the facility go through a quarantine process, after which they are
recounted and stocked into the rearing channel.
During this process, there are some numerical differences between what
is brought in for quarantine from the field and what is stocked into the
channel. These differences represent
fish that are consumed by other fish during transport and while in the
quarantine tank or numerical counting errors in the field during rescue. As of September 30, 2010, staff has stocked a
total of 1,957 fish into the rearing channel, including 1,794 young-of-year and
163 yearlings. A total of 86 mortalities
has been observed for a total of 1,871 fish currently being held at the
facility. The survival rate in the
rearing channel through the end of September was 95.6%.
U:\staff\word\boardpacket\2010\20101018\InfoItems\18\item18.doc