ITEM:

INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/STAFF REPORTS

 

32.

QUARTERLY CARMEL RIVER RIPARIAN CORRIDOR MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REPORT

 

Meeting Date:

April 20, 2015

Budgeted:

N/A

 

From:

Dave Stoldt,

Program/

N/A

 

General Manager

Line Item No.:

 

Prepared By:

Thomas Christensen and

Cost Estimate:

N/A

 

Larry Hampson

 

 

                 

General Counsel Review:  N/A

Committee Recommendation:  N/A

CEQA Compliance:  N/A

 

IRRIGATION OF RIPARIAN VEGETATION: Supplemental watering of riparian restoration plantings occurred in March 2015 because of low rainfall. Three Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (District) riparian habitat restoration sites (DeDampierre, Trail and Saddle Club, and Schulte) all needed supplemental irrigation to help establish young seedlings.

 

Water Use in Acre-Feet (AF)

January - March 2015

0.17 AF

Year-to-date

0.17 AF

                       

MONITORING OF RIPARIAN VEGETATION: During the winter season, the District suspended the riparian vegetation monitoring program.  The monitoring of soil moisture, groundwater levels, and canopy defoliation (a measure of vegetation moisture stress) will resume in May 2015.  During the months of May through October, staff will take bi-monthly measurements of depth to groundwater and canopy vigor in areas where willow and cottonwood trees may be impacted by lowered water levels caused by groundwater extraction.  The areas monitored are in the vicinity of California American Water’s (Cal-Am) Cañada and San Carlos wells, and the District’s Valley Hills (next to Cal-Am’s Cypress Well) and Schulte (next to Cal-Am’s Schulte Well) Restoration Projects.  The District’s monitoring provides insight into the status of soil moisture through the riparian corridor by collecting and analyzing bi-monthly readings from the District’s array of monitoring wells and pumping records for large-capacity Carmel Valley wells in the Cal-Am system.

 

OTHER TASKS PERFORMED SINCE THE JANUARY 2015 QUARTERLY REPORT:

 

1.                  Carmel River Clean Up: District staff removed plastic bags, metal, tires, and trash from long reaches of the Carmel River starting at Esquiline Bridge and extending downstream to the Highway One Bridge.

 

2.                  French Broom (Genista) Eradication in District Restoration Projects:  District staff (Mark Bekker and Matt Lyons) have been removing French broom from the riparian corridor along the Carmel River in the mid-valley area.  French broom, which is a rapidly growing invasive weed that often reaches 10 feet tall and occasionally higher, competes with native plants and can become problematic if left unchecked.

 

3.                  Public Outreach and Education: On February 5, 2015, District staff presented information on the Monterey Peninsula Water Resource System and Mitigation Program to fifth graders of the International School of Monterey. Then on March 17, 2015, District staff gave a presentation on the Monterey Peninsula Water Resource System and Carmel River Lagoon Dynamics to seniors of Environmental Science classes from Robert Louis Stevenson School.

 

4.                  State Proposition 84 Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Grant Program:  Staff completed a final report for the 2011 Planning Grant.  Final deliverables for the grant can be viewed at www.mpirwm.org in the IRWM Document Library folder under Planning Grant Projects.

 

5.                  Sleepy Hollow Steelhead Rearing Facility Intake Upgrade: The District executed an agreement with Tetra Tech, Inc. for design and permit acquisition for a not-to-exceed amount of $401,000.  Design work commenced in early April 2015. 

 

6.                  Carmel River Lagoon Ecosystem Protective Barrier and Scenic Road Protection: District staff coordinated with Cal-Am, Granite Construction Co., and several regulatory agencies on a plan for dewatering San Clemente Reservoir in preparation for removal of the dam.  Releases from San Clemente Reservoir will be monitored for potential effects at the lagoon on water levels.

 

7.                  Instream Flow Incremental Method Study: The District extended the agreement with Normandeau Environmental Consultants to update instream flow requirements for the Carmel River.  Normandeau will conduct a test in the Carmel River to determine if habitat suitability   criteria from the Big Sur River can be used for the Carmel River.  The cost of the test will be up to $50,000.  A successful test would significantly reduce the cost of field work needed to update instream flow requirements. 

 

 

 

             

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