ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEM/STAFF REPORT
12.	CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR JUNE 2023
Meeting Date:			July 17, 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:  June’s weather continued the mostly dry and cool trend, keeping river flows above the long-term median for the month. The upper tributaries are dropping, but continued to flow to the river and Los Padres Dam was still spilling at 27 cubic-feet-per-second (CFS) and 68 degrees F. Juvenile steelhead rearing conditions were good to excellent throughout the watershed.

June’s mean daily streamflow at the Sleepy Hollow Weir gaging station dropped from 74 to 40 cfs (monthly mean 58 cfs) resulting in 3,440 acre-feet (AF) of runoff, while flows at the Highway 1 gage dropped from 87 to 62 cfs (monthly mean 72 cfs), resulting in 4,320 acre-feet (AF).

There were 0.17 inches of rain in early June as recorded at the San Clemente gauge. The rainfall total for WY 2023 (which started October 1, 2022) is 35.19 inches, or 168% of the long-term year-to-date average of 21.00 inches.

CARMEL RIVER LAGOON:  The lagoon water surface elevation (WSE) ranged from approximately 4.0 to 9.8 feet in June primarily due to tidal influence (North American Vertical Datum of 1988; NAVD 88) (See graph below).

Water quality depth-profiles were conducted at five sites on June 23, 2023, while the lagoon mouth was open to the north, water surface elevation was 1.25 feet, and river inflow was 69 cfs. Steelhead passage conditions were fair, and rearing conditions were good to fair. Salinity levels were generally low (<10 ppt down to 2-meters), water temperatures ranged from 62-69 degrees F, and dissolved oxygen (DO) levels were variable, ranging from <1–13 mg/l.

Carmel River Lagoon Plot:

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