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ITEM: |
INFORMATIONAL
ITEM/STAFF REPORT |
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23. |
CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR MARCH
2020 |
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Meeting Date: |
March 16, 2020 |
Budgeted: |
N/A |
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From: |
David J. Stoldt, |
Program/ |
N/A |
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General Manager |
Line Item No.: |
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Prepared By: |
Beverly Chaney |
Cost Estimate: |
N/A |
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General
Counsel Review: N/A |
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Committee Recommendation: N/A |
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CEQA Compliance: This action does not
constitute a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act
Guidelines Section 15378. |
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AQUATIC HABITAT AND FLOW
CONDITIONS: February 2020 was
the driest February on record with 0.0 inches of rain. Mainstem flows continued
to slowly drop during the month, and passage conditions were “fair” for adult steelhead
and “fair to good” for smolts. Rearing conditions for juveniles were also “fair
to good”.
February’s mean daily streamflow at the Sleepy Hollow Weir dropped
from 71 to 42 cubic-feet-per-second (cfs) (monthly
mean 54.6 cfs) resulting in 3,140 acre-feet (AF)
of runoff. Mean daily streamflow at the Highway 1 gage dropped from 70 to 39 cfs (monthly mean 52.2 cfs)
resulting in 3,000 acre-feet (AF) of runoff.
There were 0.00 inches of rainfall in February as recorded at
the San Clemente gauge. The rainfall total for WY 2020 (which started on
October 1, 2019) is 11.48 inches, or 74% of the long-term year-to-date average
of 15.54 inches.
LOS PADRES DAM ADULT STEELHEAD COUNT: The Los Padres Dam fish ladder and trap started
operating on December 12, 2019. The ladder was turned off on February 12th,
due to continued movement of the large landslide in the reservoir that is
affecting the outlet pipe. It remained off the rest of the month. As of February
29th, 14 adult steelhead have been trapped and transported above the dam, seven
of those were tagged by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) crews.
CARMEL RIVER LAGOON: The lagoon mouth opened on December 3, 2019. The
lagoon’s water surface elevation (WSE) was variable in February, with several
brief closings primarily from wave and tidal action, ranging from ~4.0 - 11.2
feet (North American
Vertical Datum of 1988; NAVD 88) (See graph below).
Water quality depth-profiles were conducted at five sites on February
20, 2020 while the lagoon mouth was open and draining, the WSE was 2.21 feet,
and river inflow was 45 cfs. Steelhead rearing
conditions were generally “fair” throughout the lagoon due to the high salinity
levels below 0.5m depth (range was 1 - 29 ppt). Dissolved oxygen (DO) levels (7
– 13 mg/l) and water temperatures (50 - 56 degrees F) were excellent.
Carmel River Lagoon Plot:
U:\staff\Boardpacket\2020\20200316\InfoItems\23\Item-23.docx