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ITEM:
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INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/STAFF
REPORTS
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24.
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CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR DECEMBER 2010
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Meeting Date:
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January 27, 2011
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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 December 2010, Carmel River
streamflow conditions for fish migration became adequate for adults after a
storm on December 19 filled Los Padres Reservoir, increased river flow
substantially, and opened the lagoon to the ocean with a sufficient attraction
flow.
During December 2010, the mean
daily streamflow recorded at the District’s Carmel River
at Sleepy Hollow Weir gaging station averaged 110 cubic-feet per second (cfs) and
ranged from 17 to 414 cfs. Unimpaired
runoff at San Clemente Dam (SCD) for the month of December 2010 was 7,231
AF. Unimpaired runoff at SCD for Water
Year (WY) 2011, which starts on October 1, has totaled 8,937 AF or about 13% of
the long-term annual average of 68,900 AF. During December 2010, 5.47 inches of rainfall was
recorded at California American Water’s (CAW) SCD. The rainfall total for WY 2011 is 8.35 inches,
which is 39% of the long-term annual average of 21.41 inches.
CARMEL RIVER LAGOON: During December 2010, the lagoon’s water-surface
elevation (WSE) ranged from approximately 3.1 to 10.02 feet above mean sea
level (see graph below). The Monterey County Public Works crews breached
the lagoon sandbar on December 9 and December 16 in order to lower
the WSE in anticipation of a predicted storm. On December 19, a significant storm
hit the central coast, filling Los Padres Reservoir, which substantially
increased the flow in the river and naturally breached the lagoon through an
outlet channel created by Monterey County Public Works Department before the
storm. Water quality was sampled on December 7, 2010. Data from this sampling shows that the
salinity and dissolved oxygen measurements were adequate for steelhead rearing
down to approximately three meter of depth. Below three meters of depth, dissolved
oxygen gradually decreased to suboptimal conditions for steelhead and a
halocline is observed, where salinity increases from 0.5 parts per thousand
(ppt) to 18 ppt. Salinity above 10 ppt
can be stressful to juvenile fish, but acceptable for smolts and adults. Water temperature
ranged from 51 to 61 degrees Fahrenheit (ºF) throughout the vertical column,
and is considered optimal for all life stages of steelhead.
District staff, assisted by
volunteers from the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Monterey County Water Resources Agency, California
State University Monterey
Bay, Carmel River Steelhead Association, and Carmel River Watershed Conservancy
hauled a beach seine through various sites in the Carmel River Lagoon in order
to estimate the steelhead population residing in the lagoon. A Petersen
Population Estimate based on the samples collected in November 2010 for the
Carmel River Lagoon was 1,335 fish (+/- 2,514, 95% Confidence Interval).
ADULT STEELHEAD AT SCD: The fish counter and video camera were
installed and tested at the ladder on December 6, 2010. The first fish recorded over the counter was
on December 20. There have been a total of 10 fish recorded passing the counter
in December 2010. There have been no fish reported at the CAW Los Padres Dam
Fish Trap as of December 31, 201
0.
U:\staff\word\boardpacket\2011\20110127\InfoItems\24\item24.doc