ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/STAFF REPORTS
22.	CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
Meeting Date:			March 16, 2015	Budgeted:	N/A
From:			David J. Stoldt,	Program/	N/A
			General Manager	Line Item No.:
Prepared By:			Beverly Chaney	Cost Estimate:	N/A
General Counsel Review: N/A
Committee Recommendation: N/A
CEQA Compliance: N/A

AQUATIC HABITAT AND FLOW CONDITIONS:  After two weeks of very wet weather in early December that filled Los Padres Reservoir and finally rewetted the lower Carmel River with the first significant flow in nearly two years, January 2015 was the driest January in recorded history with 0.00 inches of rain recorded at California American Water’s (CAW) San Clemente Dam (SCD) as well as much of Monterey County. Much of February was also dry, but a moderate early-month storm did increase river flows temporarily from 18 to 751 cubic-feet-per-second cfs (cfs) at the District’s Sleepy Hollow Weir gaging station. 

January’s mean daily streamflow at the MPWMD Highway 1 gage (HW 1) ranged from 9.2 to 28 cfs (mean 15.7 cfs) with 967 total acre-feet (AF) of runoff. February’s mean daily streamflow at the HW 1 gage ranged from 7.5 to 666 cfs (mean 111 cfs) with 6,160 total acre-feet of runoff.

Mean daily streamflow in February at the Sleepy Hollow Weir ranged from 18 to 751 cfs, with a mean monthly flow of 124 cfs.  During February, 3.82 inches of rainfall were recorded at CAW’s SCD gage. The rainfall total for WY 2015 (which started on October 1, 2014) is 13.85 inches, or 90% of the long-term year-to-date average of 15.43 inches.

CARMEL RIVER LAGOON:  On December 12, 2014, the lagoon filled and opened to the sea for the first time since May 24, 2013. In early January 2015, the lagoon opened briefly several times before closing, due to low inflow, until a moderate storm in early February finally filled the lagoon and opened the mouth. A pattern of tidally influenced daily open/close events persisted for the remainder of the month with the lagoon’s water-surface elevation (WSE) ranging from approximately 1.5 – 10.5 feet above mean sea level (see graphs below).  

Water-quality profiles were conducted in mid-February at five lagoon sites. Conditions were generally “good” for steelhead rearing. Water temperatures were all in the mid-50’s degrees F., dissolved oxygen (DO) ranged from 5 – 12 mg/L and salinity levels ranged from 0.5 - 25 ppt.

ADULT STEELHEAD AT SAN CLEMENTE DAM: The fish counter and video camera were installed and tested at the ladder in early December 2014. Through the end of February there have been a total of 18 fish recorded at the counter: three in December, zero in January and 15 in February.

ADULT STEELHEAD AT LOS PADRES DAM: The fish ladder and trap are operational. Through the end of February 2015 there have been zero sea-run adult fish recorded in the trap.

U:\staff\Boardpacket\2015\20150316\InfoItems\22\Item 22.docx