ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/STAFF REPORTS
23.	CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR JUNE 2020
Meeting Date:			July 20, 2020	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: This action does not constitute a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Section 15378.

AQUATIC HABITAT AND FLOW CONDITIONS:  The Carmel River continued its slow, steady decline in June, providing good to fair rearing conditions for steelhead young-of-the-year (YOY) throughout much of the watershed.

June’s mean daily streamflow at the Sleepy Hollow Weir dropped from 44 to 18 cubic-feet-per-second (cfs) (monthly mean 29 cfs) resulting in 1,720 acre-feet (AF) of runoff. Mean daily streamflow at the Highway 1 gage fell from 40 to 9.6 cfs (monthly mean 21 cfs) resulting in 1,280 acre-feet (AF) of runoff.

There were 0.00 inches of rainfall in June as recorded at the San Clemente gauge. The rainfall total for WY 2020 (which started on October 1, 2019) is 17.57 inches, or 83.5% of the long-term year-to-date average of 21.03 inches. 

CARMEL RIVER LAGOON:  The lagoon mouth opened on December 3, 2019 and likely closed for the summer on June 16, 2020. During June, the lagoon water surface elevation (WSE) ranged from ~3.6 – 10.0 feet (North American Vertical Datum of 1988; NAVD 88) (See graph below).

Water quality depth-profiles were conducted at five sites on June 18, 2020 while the lagoon mouth was closed, water surface elevation was 5.65 feet and filling, and river inflow was 18 cfs. Steelhead rearing and migration conditions were generally “fair”. Salinity ranged from 0.5 - 31 ppt, dissolved oxygen (DO) levels ranged from 8-16 mg/l, and water temperatures ranged from 57-70 degrees F. 

TRIBUTARIES STEELHEAD RESCUES: Staff completed seven days of fish rescues in Cachagua Creek between mid-June and July 1, 2020. A total of 4,339 juvenile steelhead were rescued including: 4,239 young-of-the-year (YOY), 76 age 1+ fish, and 24 mortalities (0.6%). Staff tagged 57 of the larger fish and there were two recaptured fish.

Carmel River Lagoon Plot:

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