ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEM/STAFF REPORT
23.	CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR JANUARY 2023
Meeting Date:			February 13, 2023	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:  January brought a series of large storms known as atmospheric rivers to the Central Coast, resulting in one of the wettest three-week periods in modern history, causing flooding and damage in several areas of the Carmel River watershed. A peak flow of 11,400 cubic-feet-per-second (cfs) was estimated by the USGS at the Robles Del Rio (Rosie’s Bridge) gaging station on January 9, 2023 (See graph below).

January’s mean daily streamflow at the Sleepy Hollow Weir gaging station ranged from 314 to 5,490 cfs (monthly mean 1,355 cfs) resulting in 83,330 acre-feet (AF) of runoff, while flows at the Highway 1 gage ranged from 264 to 4,790 cfs (monthly mean 1,379 cfs), resulting in 84,820 acre-feet (AF).

There were 12.6 inches of rain in January as recorded at the San Clemente gauge. The rainfall total for WY 2023 (which started October 1, 2022) through January is 23.70 inches, or 212% of the long-term year-to-date average of 11.16 inches.

CARMEL RIVER LAGOON:  In early January, the lagoon water surface elevation (WSE) again reached a very high level at ~ 14.3 feet due to high river flows coupled with large swells and king tides (North American Vertical Datum of 1988; NAVD 88) (See graph below).

ADULT STEELHEAD COUNT AT LOS PADRES DAM (LPD): The ladder and trap at LPD are operated by Cal-Am Water. Two adult steelhead were counted at the trap in December and early January. The bottom section of the ladder was severely damaged in the January 9 storm. It is unknown when it will be fixed and re-installed.

RESISTANCE BOARD WEIR:  As part of the District’s steelhead life-cycle monitoring program, a fish weir was installed in the lower river to temporarily trap upstream migrating adult steelhead for tagging and measurement. The weir was severely damaged in the January storms. It is unknown when it will be fixed and re-installed this season.

SLEEPY HOLLOW STEELHEAD REARING FACILITY: All remaining fish were released from the Facility by January 11, 2023. Release locations varied by fish size and release date as follows: Scarlett Well reach – 2,632 (small fish), Robinson/Red Rock reach – 3,426 (small/med fish), Rancho San Carlos reach 826 (large fish), and Sleepy Hollow reach – 1,687 (mixed sizes, storm release). Fisheries staff PIT tagged 1,581 fish >65 mm before release. All fish were in excellent health and condition.

Of the 10,645 fish stocked in the rearing channel (June-August 2022), 8,573 fish survived (80.5%) and were released back into the Carmel River in December-January (8,080 YOY, 493 1+). During the quarantine period, approximately 14% of the fry brought to the facility died from rescue handing stress before growing large enough to stock in the channel.

Carmel River Flow at Robles Del Rio (Rosie’s Bridge) – USGS.

December 2022- February 2023. (Note logarithmic scale):

Carmel River Lagoon Plot:

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