ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEM/STAFF REPORT
24.	CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR DECEMBER 2020
Meeting Date:			January 25, 2021	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:  Despite the continued dry weather conditions, the Carmel River front reached the lagoon in Mid-December, providing good rearing conditions for steelhead young-of-the-year (YOY) in the mid to upper watershed and improving conditions in the lower valley.

December’s mean daily streamflow at the Sleepy Hollow Weir increased from 9.7 to 12 cubic-feet-per-second (cfs) (monthly mean 10.5 cfs) resulting in 654 acre-feet (AF) of runoff while the Highway 1 gage increased from 0 to 4.4 cubic-feet-per-second (cfs) (monthly mean 1.3 cfs) resulting in 79 acre-feet (AF) of runoff.

There were 0.70 inches of rainfall in December as recorded at the San Clemente gauge. The rainfall total for WY 2021 (which started on October 1, 2020) is 1.24 inches, or 18% of the long-term year-to-date average of 6.76 inches. 

CARMEL RIVER LAGOON:   During December, the lagoon water surface elevation (WSE) ranged from approximately 7.5 to 10.0 feet due to river flow and waves overtopping the beach berm (North American Vertical Datum of 1988; NAVD 88) (See graph below).

Water quality depth-profiles were conducted at five sites on December 16, 2020 while the lagoon mouth was closed, water surface elevation was 9.0 feet, and river inflow was 1.1 cfs. Steelhead rearing conditions were generally “good”, above one-meter depth. Salinity was high and ranged from 13 - 26 ppt, dissolved oxygen (DO) levels were variable ranging from 1.1 – 11mg/l, and water temperatures continued to cool, ranging from 48 - 55 degrees F. 

RESISTANCE BOARD WEIR: As part of the District’s steelhead life cycle monitoring program, FISHBIO Consulting was hired to design and install a fish weir in the lower river to temporarily trap migrating adult steelhead for tagging and measurement. The installation began in December and will be completed in January in time to operate during the 2021 migration period.

Carmel River Lagoon Plot:

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