ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/STAFF REPORTS
29.	QUARTERLY CARMEL RIVER EROSION PROTECTION AND RESTORATION PROJECTS REPORT
Meeting Date:			April 18, 2011	Budgeted:	N/A
From:			Darby Fuerst	Program/	N/A
			General Manager	Line Item No.:
Prepared By:			Larry Hampson	Cost Estimate:	N/A
General Counsel Review: N/A
Committee Recommendation: N/A
CEQA Compliance: N/A

Carmel River Advisory Committee: The Carmel River Advisory Committee met on January 20, 2011. 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 Propositions 84 and 1E Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Grant Program: The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) awarded a grant of $995,000 to the District for water resource planning purposes in the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel Bay, and South Monterey Bay Region (Region). MPWMD and its local partners will contribute over $700,000 in cash and in-kind services to total $1.7 million. MPWMD will be responsible for administering the grant funds locally and will also be responsible for completing several tasks, including fish passage assessment in the Carmel River watershed and hydrologic modeling for the Carmel Valley Alluvial Aquifer.

In January 2011, the District filed a grant application with the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) requesting $6.13 million in Implementation Grant funds for seven local projects totaling more than $25 million. Initial funding recommendations are expected to be announced in late April 2011 with final recommendations expected in June 2011. If awarded a grant, MPWMD would be responsible for administering grant funds locally and would also be responsible for completing Water Project 2 with grant funds.

The District is one of four regions in the Central Coast funding area that submitted applications for project implementation (the funding area consists of six planning regions that include coastal watersheds between Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara counties). Approximately $11.56 million is available in Round 1 of the Implementation Grant program funded through Proposition 84 bond funds. Awards will be made on a competitive basis.

Design of Sleepy Hollow Ford Removal and Bridge Replacement Project: The California Department of Fish and Game awarded a grant of $114,300 to the District to complete design work for removing the Sleepy Hollow Ford and replacing the crossing with a clear span bridge (see related Consent Calendar Item XX).

Carmel River Lagoon: District staff continued to provide Monterey County officials and the Carmel River Lagoon Technical Advisory Committee with regular updates on lagoon, ocean and Carmel River watershed conditions. On March 17, 2011, Larry Hampson, Senior Water Resources Engineer, gave a presentation to the Carmel River Steelhead Association on Carmel River State Beach management between 2005 and February 2011.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Regional General Permit (RGP) for Carmel River Maintenance and Restoration: The Public Notice for a renewal of this RGP was re-issued by the Corps on October 8, 2010, with a comment period ending November 7, 2010. In early March 2011, the District was informed that the Corps was drafting the decision document that acts as documentation for the project and the District would receive a copy of the permit for review.

San Clemente Dam Removal Project: The District was invited to participate in the Technical Review Team Meeting held April 6, 2011 to review final design concepts for the project. Larry Hampson, Senior Water Resources Engineer, and Kevan Urquhart, Senior Fisheries Biologist, participated in the meeting.

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