ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/STAFF REPORTS
25.	CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR JULY 2023
Meeting Date:			August 21, 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:   River flow throughout much of the watershed remained above normal in July with a flow of 13 cubic-feet-per-second (CFS) all the way to the lagoon. At Los Padres Dam, the syphon was turned on and the Behavioral Guidance System (BGS) was closed mid-month, while the reservoir was barely spilling by the end of the month. Juvenile steelhead rearing conditions remain “good” in the mainstem while most tributaries began to dry back.

July’s mean daily streamflow at the Sleepy Hollow Weir gaging station dropped from 38 to 15 cfs (monthly mean 25 cfs), resulting in 1,530 acre-feet (AF) of runoff, while flows at the Highway 1 gage dropped from 46 to 13 cfs (monthly mean 24 cfs), resulting in 1,450 acre-feet (AF).

There was no rainfall in July as recorded at the San Clemente gauge. The rainfall total for Water Year (WY) 2023 (which started October 1, 2022) is 35.19 inches, or 168% of the long-term year-to-date average of 21.02 inches.

CARMEL RIVER LAGOON:  The lagoon water surface elevation (WSE) ranged from approximately 4.0 to 8.1 feet in July. The lagoon mouth closed, likely for the season, on July 16^th (North American Vertical Datum of 1988; NAVD 88) (See graph below).

Water quality depth-profiles were conducted at five sites on July 19, 2023, while the lagoon mouth was closed to the north, water surface elevation was 7.3 feet, and river inflow was 19 cfs. Steelhead rearing conditions were fair. Salinity levels were low down to 1-meter (<5 ppt), but much higher at depth, water temperatures ranged from 64-70 degrees Fahrenheit in the mainstem, but up to 80 degrees in the upper south arm, and dissolved oxygen (DO) levels were variable, ranging from 5-15 mg/l.

JUVENILE STEELHEAD RESCUES – TRIBUTARIES: Staff started juvenile steelhead rescues in the tributaries on June 30, 2023, as the lower portions of the creeks started to dry. By the end of July, a total of 3,152 fish were rescued and released into the Carmel River including: 2,778 from Cachagua Creek, 216 from Hitchcock Creek and 163 from Garza Creek There were 5 mortalities, and 102 fish were tagged before release.

Carmel River Lagoon Plot:

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