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ITEM: |
INFORMATIONAL ITEM/STAFF REPORT |
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17. |
CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 2023 |
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Meeting Date: |
October 16, 2023 |
Budgeted: |
N/A |
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From: |
David J. Stoldt, |
Program/ |
N/A |
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General Manager |
Line Item No.: |
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Prepared By: |
Beverly Chaney |
Cost Estimate: |
N/A |
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General Counsel Review: N/A |
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Committee Recommendation: N/A |
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CEQA Compliance: This
action does not constitute a project as defined by the California
Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Section 15378. |
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AQUATIC HABITAT AND FLOW CONDITIONS: Los Padres Reservoir water level is currently 1,034 feet above-sea-level
(1,040’ is full) and flow releases were reduced to 10.5 cubic-feet-per-second
(CFS). The Carmel River is still flowing to the lagoon. Juvenile steelhead
rearing conditions remained “good to fair” in the mainstem, and no fish rescues
were required in September.
September’s mean daily streamflow at the Sleepy
Hollow Weir gaging station ranged from 13 to 12
cfs (monthly mean 12.9 cfs), resulting in 742 acre-feet (AF) of
runoff, while flows at the Highway 1 gage ranged from 7.7 to 6.2 cfs (monthly
mean 6.8 cfs), resulting in 391 acre-feet (AF).
There were 0.04 inches of rainfall in September as
recorded at the San Clemente gauge. The total rainfall for Water Year (WY)
2023 (which started October 1, 2022) was 35.23 inches, or 166% of the long-term year-to-date average
of 21.19 inches.
CARMEL RIVER
LAGOON: The lagoon water surface elevation (WSE) was
steady from approximately 8 to 8.4 feet until September 20th when
large ocean swells raised the level to 11 feet (North American Vertical Datum of 1988; NAVD 88) (See graph below).
Water quality depth-profiles were conducted at
five sites on September 25, 2023, while the lagoon mouth was closed to the
north, water surface elevation was rising from 8.0 -11 feet, and river inflow
was 6.9 cfs. Steelhead rearing conditions were fair. Salinity levels were
generally low to 1-meter depth but increased to 20 ppt at 3-meters depth, water
temperatures are beginning to cool, ranging from 59-69 degrees Fahrenheit in
the mainstem, and dissolved oxygen (DO) levels were variable, ranging from 0.5-16
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 September, fisheries staff had spent 18
days and rescued a total of 6,352 fish including: 5,213 from
Cachagua Creek, 218 from Hitchcock Creek, 758 from Robinson Creek, and 163 from
Garza Creek. There were 19 mortalities (0.3%), and 304 fish (4.8%) were tagged (most
were too small) before release back into the Carmel River.
Carmel River Lagoon Plot:
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Item\17\Item-17.docx