ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/STAFF REPORTS
20.	CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR OCTOBER 2010
Meeting Date:			November 15, 2010	Budgeted:	N/A
From:			Darby Fuerst,	Program/	N/A
			General Manager	Line Item No.:
Prepared By:			Cory Hamilton	Cost Estimate:	N/A
General Counsel Review: N/A
Committee Recommendation: N/A
CEQA Compliance: N/A

AQUATIC HABITAT AND FLOW CONDITIONS: During October 2010, Carmel River streamflow conditions for fish migration were inadequate for adults and smolts, but remained adequate for juveniles. On October 20, flow reached the Highway 1 Bridge, reconnecting the river to the lagoon. By the end of the month, there were approximately 4 cubic feet per second (cfs) at the Highway 1 Bridge.

During October 2010, the mean daily streamflow recorded at the District’s Carmel River at Sleepy Hollow Weir gaging station averaged 14.9 cfs and ranged from 14 to 17 cfs. Unimpaired runoff at San Clemente Dam (SCD) for the month of October 2010 was 634 AF. Unimpaired runoff at SCD for Water Year (WY) 2011, which starts on October 1, has totaled 634 AF or about 0.92% of the long-term annual average of 68,900 AF. During October 2010, 0.87 inches of rainfall was recorded at California American Water’s (CAW) SCD. The rainfall total for WY 2011 is 0.87 inches, which is 0.41% of the long-term annual average of 21.41 inches.

CARMEL RIVER LAGOON: During October 2010, the lagoon’s water-surface elevation (WSE) ranged from approximately 5.14 to 6.55 feet above mean sea level (see graph below). Water quality was sampled on October 11, 2010. Data from this sampling shows that the salinity and dissolved oxygen measurements were adequate for steelhead rearing down to approximately 1 meter of depth. There is a halocline at approximately 1 meter depth, where salinity increases from 10 parts per thousand (ppt) to 29 ppt. Water temperature ranged from 65 to 73 degrees Fahrenheit (ºF) throughout the vertical column. Water temperatures above 68ºF are considered to be stressful to steelhead.

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 October 31, 2010, staff has stocked a total of 1,957 fish into the rearing channel, including1,690 young-of-year and 160 yearlings. A total of 107 mortalities has been observed for a total of 1,850 fish currently being held at the facility. The survival rate in the rearing channel through the end of October was 94.5 %.

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