ITEM:		CONSENT CALENDAR
4.	CONSIDER EXPENDITURE OF BUDGETED FUNDS TO CONTRACT WITH THE CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION CORPS FOR FALL 2011 VEGETATION MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
Meeting Date:			August 15, 2011	Budgeted:	Yes
From:			Darby Fuerst	Program/	Riparian Mitigations
			General Manager	Line Item No.:	2.1.4
Prepared By:			Thomas Christensen	Cost Estimate:	$16,900
General Counsel Review: N/A
Committee Recommendation: The Administrative Committee considered this item on August 8, 2011 and recommended approval.
CEQA Compliance: N/A

SUMMARY: The Board will consider authorizing staff to contract with the California Conservation Corps (CCC), which will provide a crew of approximately 15 workers to help District staff carry out vegetation management activities on the Carmel River during the fall of 2011. Vegetation management this year will involve cutting, removing, and dragging large tree limbs out of the river bed and removing debris from the channel in preparation for potential high winter and spring river flows. The amount of work required this year warrants the use of CCC workers. This program is conducted in accordance with the District’s “Guidelines for Vegetation Management and Removal of Deleterious Materials for the Carmel River Riparian Corridor.”

RECOMMENDATION: District staff recommends that the Board authorize the General Manager to enter into a contract with the California Conservation Corps for assistance with vegetation management in the Carmel River at a cost not-to-exceed $16,900.

BACKGROUND: The District plans to perform in-channel vegetation management this fall at nine sites along the Carmel River. Since 1998, the Carmel River has had relatively moderate hydrologic years, which has allowed vegetation to encroach into the channel. As a result, there is an increased risk of streambank erosion along riverfront properties in several locations if winter flows rise above five-year return intervals (approximately 5,000 cubic feet per second). Erosion can occur as high flows are directed away from the center of the channel by vegetation and debris dams into streambanks.

Nine areas impacted by vegetation encroachment in the channel bottom are proposed for selected vegetation removal:

1. Highway One Bridge Area (reach length approximately 200 feet): beginning approximately 100 feet downstream of Highway One Bridge at River Mile (RM) 1 encroaching vegetation will be trimmed back.

2. Rancho San Carlos Bridge Area (reach length approximately 300 feet): beginning approximately at RM 3.9 just upstream of Rancho San Carlos Bridge encroaching vegetation will be trimmed back.

3. RV Park Area (reach length approximately 300 feet): beginning approximately at RM 5.6 downstream of Carmel by the River RV Park; trees blocking the channel on a gravel bar will be thinned. Some trees will be placed in the flowing stream to provide large wood habitat. The rest of the branches will be chipped.

4. Red Rock Area (reach length approximately 300 feet): beginning approximately at RM 8.2 at the upstream end of the Red Rock Restoration Project; trees blocking the channel on a gravel bar will be thinned. Some trees will be placed in the flowing stream to provide large wood habitat. The rest of the branches will be chipped.

5. Scarlett Area (reach length approximately 300 feet): a reach approximately 200 feet upstream of the Scarlett Area (approximately RM 9.0) will be opened up. Multiple trees have fallen across the channel and a gravel bar. These trees will be notched with their branches trimmed.

6. Randazzo’s Bridge Area (reach length approximately 400 feet): beginning at a private bridge known as Randazzo’s Bridge at RM 10.1 and in a reach approximately 200 feet upstream of the bridge; trees will be trimmed that are encroaching into the active channel.

7. West Garzas Area (reach length approximately 300 feet): beginning at approximately RM 12.3, upstream of California American Water’s West Garzas Well multiple trees are encroaching into the active channel. These trees will be trimmed back with some of the trunks placed in the channel to provide large wood habitat.

8. De Dampierre Area (reach length approximately 400 feet): two debris piles have settled on mid-stream gravel bars upstream of the De Dampierre area (Little League Ball Fields in Carmel Valley Village) at RM 14.2. The debris piles will be broken up using hand tools. Some minor trimming will occur to allow spreading of the large pieces of wood. Some wood will be placed in the channel for large wood habitat.

9. Ward Area (reach length approximately 200 feet): beginning in a reach just upstream of the Ward’s private bridge RM 15.0; several large trees have fallen in the main channel. These trunks will be notched (partially cut) and branches will be trimmed. The large sections of tree trunks will be left in the flowing stream to provide large wood habitat.

A width of up to 40 feet of open channel is desired. A total of approximately 2,700 lineal feet of stream encompassing approximately 0.62 acres in the channel bottom may be affected by the vegetation removal.

Woody species in the center of the channel, including sycamore, alder, cottonwood, and willow, will be cut by hand using chainsaws, loppers, and other hand tools. As described in MPWMD’s “Guidelines for Vegetation Management and Removal of Deleterious Materials for the Carmel

River Riparian Corridor,” a minimum of vegetation will be removed in order to maintain an open passage for flow and debris.

The District has used CCC workers on many occasions in the past when vegetation management activities have been on a scale large enough that District staff cannot reasonably remove all the debris and slash created from opening up the main channel.

IMPACT ON STAFF/RESOURCES: It is anticipated that a fifteen-person CCC crew at a cost of $2,816 per day will be required for six days. The total not-to exceed amount for the contract is $16,900. Funds for this work are included in the Fiscal Year 2011-12 Budget under Project Expenditures, Item 2-1-4: “Address vegetation hazards; remove trash from channel” - $18,000 total, Account No. 4-03-7870.40. The staff person responsible for administration of the contract and supervision of the work is Thomas Christensen, the District’s Riparian Project Coordinator.

EXHIBITS

None

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