ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/STAFF REPORTS
25.	CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR OCTOBER 2021
Meeting Date:			November 15, 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:  An early season atmospheric river (AR) brought welcome rain to much of California including several inches to the Carmel River watershed. The brief bump in river flows, along with cooler water temperatures, resulted in better rearing conditions for juvenile steelhead throughout much of the watershed. By month’s end, the river front started advancing downstream and is currently in the Red Rock reach in Mid-
Valley.

October’s mean daily streamflow at the Sleepy Hollow Weir ranged from 2.9 to 11 cfs (monthly mean 4.63 cfs) resulting in 285 acre-feet (AF) of runoff, while the river at the Highway 1 gage remained dry. The Los Padres Reservoir water surface elevation rose approximately 12 feet in October from 1,008 feet to 1,020 feet.

There were 2.08 inches of rainfall in October as recorded at the San Clemente gauge. The rainfall total for WY 2022 (which started on October 1, 2021) is 2.08 inches, or 277% of the long-term year-to-date average of 0.75 inches. 

CARMEL RIVER LAGOON:  During October, the lagoon mouth remained closed. The water surface elevation (WSE) rose from 6.9 to 9.9 feet due primarily to wave overwash (North American Vertical Datum of 1988; NAVD 88) (See graph below).

Water quality depth-profiles were conducted at five sites on October 28, 2021, while the lagoon mouth was closed, water surface elevation was ~9.5 feet, and river inflow was 0.0 cfs. Steelhead rearing conditions were generally “good”. Salinity increased with depth, ranging from 5 - 26 ppt, dissolved oxygen (DO) levels ranged from 1 – 9 mg/l, while water temperatures were lower this month, ranging from 59 - 64 degrees F.

SLEEPY HOLLOW STEELHEAD REARING FACILITY:  The first rescued fish were brought to the facility on May 27, 2021. By the end of October, 6,212 fish had been stocked in the rearing channel, including 5,219 yoy fish (small/medium size) and 993 age 1+ fish. The survival rate has remained high at 93%, indicating the new upgrades to the Facility, along with the modified stocking and handling protocols, are working.

Carmel River Lagoon Plot:

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