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ITEM: |
CONSENT
CALENDAR |
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7. |
CONSIDER Expenditure of Funds for PREPARATION OF A 20-YEAR SUMMARY REPORT OF BIOASSESSMENT SAMPLING |
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Meeting Date: |
February 19, 2020 |
Budgeted: |
Yes |
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From: |
David J. Stoldt |
Program/ |
ERD/Fisheries |
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General Manager |
Line Item
No.: |
2-3-6 |
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Prepared By: |
Beverly Chaney |
Cost Estimate: |
$14,675 |
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General
Counsel Approval: N/A |
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Committee
Recommendation: The Administrative Committee reviewed this item on
February 13 and recommended approval on a 3 – 0 vote. |
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CEQA Compliance: Project is exempt as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines section 15301(i). |
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SUMMARY: The District initiated benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) sampling in 2000. BMI samples are collected at various locations along the Carmel River by District staff and sent to a certified laboratory for analysis. Results from the District’s sampling are used in combination with other habitat quality measurements to form a more complete picture of the biological health of the Carmel River system. In 2010, a Ten-Year Summary Report was prepared by the District’s BMI lab contractor, BioAssessment Services (BAS). With the completion of the 2019 BMI field sampling and lab identification, the District has now completed 20 years of this study, one of the longest BMI data-sets in the state. BAS has done an exemplary job for the District the past 20 years, completing the annual analysis and summary reports, as well as the Ten-Year Summary Report, on time, and within the budget. This item is for authorization to contract BAS to prepare a summary of all information collected to date. A copy of the proposal for the report is included as Exhibit 7-A.
BACKGROUND: Since 1990, the District has been the lead agency in assessing the biological health (i.e., biological assessment) of the Carmel River. Steelhead counts, both adults and juveniles, and water quality analyses (i.e., temperature and other indicator parameters) have been collected regularly in this effort. In 1999, the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) approved the California Stream Bioassessment Procedure, based on national Rapid Bioassessment Protocols approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (the protocol was updated in ~2010 and renamed the Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program – SWAMP). CDFG and Regional Water Quality Boards recommended adding the sampling of BMIs to biological assessment and mitigation programs. Examples of BMIs include the filter-feeding larvae of insects such as caddis flies, blackflies and mayflies, as well as larvae of predaceous insects such as stoneflies and dragon flies. BMIs are frequently used as indicators of overall stream conditions because they are abundant and taxonomically diverse, provide a wide range of response to changes in the aquatic environment over time and, unlike fishes, are not as likely to move from a stressed environment. Furthermore, they are relatively easy to sample and provide a direct measure of water and habitat quality, as each species has a known relative tolerance to degraded conditions.
RECOMMENDATION: District staff recommends that the Board of Directors authorize expenditure of budgeted funds in a not-to-exceed amount of $14,675 ($13,340 plus a 10% contingency) for the preparation of a BMI 20-Year Summary Report by BioAssessment Services, in Folsom, CA.
IMPACT TO STAFF/RESOURCES: The 2019-2020 Budget includes $18,000 for Contracted Aquatic Invertebrate Identification and Reporting (Line Item 2-3-6). Approximately $2,500 is needed for the 2019 BMI laboratory analysis work leaving $15,500 in the account for this planned report.
EXHIBIT
7-A Proposal from BioAssessment Services
(BAS), dated January 22, 2020.
U:\staff\Boardpacket\2020\20200219\ConsentCalendar\07\Item-7.docx