ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/STAFF REPORTS
24.	QUARTERLY CARMEL RIVER RIPARIAN CORRIDOR MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REPORT
Meeting Date:			April 18, 2016	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 at nine sites has been on hold since last November because of sufficient rainfall.

Water Use in Acre-Feet (AF)
January - March 2016	0.0 AF
Year-to-date	0.0 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 2016. 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 16, 2016, 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. Then on March 18, 2016, District staff presented information on the Monterey Peninsula Water Resource System and Mitigation Program to fifth graders of the International School of Monterey. On April 2, 2016, District staff gave a presentation to the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History California Naturalist program about the District, which also included a site visit to the Los Padres Dam.

4. State Proposition 1 Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Grant Program: Staff is proposing several actions to continue implementation of IRWM planning in the region (see related Action Item in this Board packet).

5. Sleepy Hollow Steelhead Rearing Facility Intake Upgrade: Tetra Tech, Inc. completed a Basis of Design and a draft Initial Study for the project.

6. Instream Flow Incremental Method Study: The District extended the agreement with Normandeau Environmental Consultants to update instream flow requirements for the Carmel River. In addition to a project description, basic 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 and conduct streamflow measurements for input to a hydraulic model for the river.

7. Los Padres Dam Long-Term Plan: The District received proposals for completion of a volitional upstream passage study at the dam (see related Consent Calendar item in this packet).

U:\staff\Boardpacket\2016\20160418\InfoItems\24\Item-24.docx