ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/STAFF REPORTS
23.	CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR APRIL 2016
Meeting Date:			May 16, 2016	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:  Drier weather returned in April after a wet March. Flow conditions in the lower Carmel River remained good to excellent for migration and rearing of all steelhead life stages.  

Mean daily streamflow at the Sleepy Hollow Weir ranged from 49 to 111 cubic feet-per-second (cfs) (monthly mean 73 cfs) resulting in 4,360 acre-feet (AF) of runoff, while flows at the Highway 1 gage ranged from 42 to 122 cubic feet-per-second (cfs) (monthly mean 71 cfs), resulting in 4,260 acre-feet (AF) of runoff.

Two smaller storms in April brought 0.57 inches of rainfall as recorded at Cal-Am’s San Clemente gauge (34% of the long-term April average). The rainfall total to date for WY 2016 (which started on October 1, 2015) is 22.04 inches, or 108% of the long-term year-to-date average of 20.37 inches.

CARMEL RIVER LAGOON:  The lagoon connected to the ocean on January 11, 2016. During April, the water surface elevation (WSE) ranged from approximately 3.9 to 10.1 feet above mean-sea-level as it oscillated with the tides and brief closures (see graph below).

Water-quality profiles were conducted in mid-April at five lagoon sites. Overall, water conditions were “good” for steelhead rearing and migration with water temperatures between 56 and 62 degrees Fahrenheit, dissolved oxygen (DO) ranging from 6 - 11 mg/L, and low salinity levels from 1 to 25 parts per thousand (ppt). 

ADULT STEELHEAD COUNTS:  The DIDSON camera was installed in the lower valley on January 12, 2016. The data are currently being reviewed and preliminary results will be reported once available. No adult steelhead have been observed at the Los Padres Dam fish ladder through April.

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