1. Management Objectives

The Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (District) desires to maximize the long-term production potential and protect the environmental quality of the Carmel River and Seaside Groundwater Basins. In addition, the District desires to maximize the amount of water that can be diverted from the Carmel River Basin and injected into the Seaside Groundwater Basin while complying with the instream flow requirements recommended by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to protect the Carmel River steelhead population. To accomplish these goals, a water supply strategy and budget for production within California American Water’s (CAW) Main and Laguna Seca Subarea water distribution systems is reviewed quarterly to determine the optimal strategy for operations, given the current hydrologic and system conditions, and legal constraints on the sources and amounts of water to be produced.

2. Quarterly Water Supply Strategy: January - March 2010

On December 1, 2010, staff from the District, CAW, the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), NMFS, and the United states Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) met and discussed the proposed water supply strategy and related topics for the remainder of December 2010 and the January-March 2011 period. Currently, flow in the Carmel River is still partially regulated by releases from Los Padres Reservoir (LPR). Both San Clemente Reservoir (SCR) and LPR are not yet spilling, and LPR is at 76% of effective storage capacity, i.e., 1347.4 vs. 1774.5 AF with the notch’s flashboard in place. Flow in the Carmel River is continuous to the lagoon, and the lagoon mouth is predominantly closed, but is being opened intermittently by Monterey County to prevent the lagoon from inundating nearby homes. Rainfall during Water Year 2011 to date at San Clemente Dam in the upper watershed has totaled 2.88 inches or 100 % of the long-term average to date at this site, and 13.5 % of the long-term annual average of 21.41 inches. Further, unimpaired runoff at San Clemente Dam for WY 2011 through November has totaled approximately 1,706 AF or about 91.5 % of the long-term average to date for this site, and 2.5 % of the long-term annual average of 68,900 AF.

Carmel River Basin Given these conditions, and early season runoff to date, it was agreed that “normal year” inflows would be initially assumed to assess CAW’s operations during the January through March 2011 period. To meet customer demand, CAW would operate its wells in the Lower Carmel Valley in a downstream-to-upstream sequence, as needed. For the quarterly budget, it was agreed that CAW would produce no groundwater from its wells in the Upper Carmel Valley during January through March 2011. If sufficient flow in the Carmel River at the District’s Don Juan Bridge gage in Garland Park, i.e., five consecutive days of 20 or more cubic feet per second (cfs), occurs to justify operations allowed under the less restrictive high-flow period, CAW could operate these wells if needed. In addition, it is projected that CAW would produce approximately 1,046, 1,113, and 1,268 AF of groundwater from its wells in the Lower Carmel Valley during January, February, and March 2011, respectively.

It was also agreed that releases from Los Padres Reservoir would be increased by 5 CFS during December, to enhance flow in the Carmel River that would potentially provide marginal downstream passage flows for juvenile steelhead, and increase inflow into the lagoon to maximize its water quality and volume. This increase will also provide additional flow and habitat in the lower Carmel River for resident juvenile steelhead, as well as those that have been released from the District’s Sleepy Hollow Steelhead Rearing Facility into the Carmel River and Lagoon. District staff began releasing juveniles from the facility on November 1, 2010 and finished on November 8, 2010.

Lastly, it was assumed that 200, 342, and 378 AF of groundwater would be diverted from the Carmel River Basin and injected into the Seaside Groundwater Basin during the during January, February, and March 2011, respectively. Because of the uncertainty in predicting future rainfall and runoff amounts, this assumption is subject to change.

Seaside Groundwater Basin It was also agreed that, subject to rainfall and runoff conditions in the Carmel River, CAW would cease production from the Coastal Subareas, except for production from the Sand City Desalination Plant, and allow the Seaside Basin to naturally recharge. It was also agreed that CAW would attempt to produce only 11, 10, and 14 AF of groundwater from its wells in the Laguna Seca Subarea of the Seaside Basin for customers in the Ryan Ranch, Bishop, and Hidden Hills systems during January, February, and March 2011, respectively. It is recognized that, based on recent historical use, CAW’s actual production from the Laguna Seca Subarea during this period will likely exceed the proposed monthly targets, which are based on CAW’s allocation specified in the Seaside Basin Adjudication Decision. For example, in the January through March 2010 period, CAW produced 23, 19, and 25 AF from the Laguna Seca Subarea to meet customer demand in the Ryan Ranch, Bishop, and Hidden Hills systems. In this context, the production targets represent the maximum monthly production that should occur so that CAW remains within its adjudicated allocation for the Laguna Seca Subarea. Under the amended Seaside Basin Decision, CAW is allowed to use production savings in the Coastal Subareas to offset over-production in the Laguna Seca Subarea. However, not much if any production savings are likely with the restrictions imposed on Carmel River diversions by the State Water Resources Control Board’s Water Rights Order No. 2009-0060.

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