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ITEM: |
INFORMATIONAL ITEM/STAFF REPORT |
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23. |
CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR OCTOBER 2023 |
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Meeting Date: |
November 13, 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 1,029 feet above-sea-level
(1,040’ is full), flow releases remained at 10.5 cubic-feet-per-second (CFS),
and the water temperature below the dam was down to 62 degrees F. The Carmel
River is still flowing to the lagoon. Juvenile steelhead rearing conditions were
“good” in the mainstem, and no fish rescues were required in October.
October’s mean daily streamflow at the Sleepy
Hollow Weir gaging station ranged from 12 to 14
cfs (monthly mean 12.5 cfs),
resulting in 766 acre-feet (AF) of runoff, while flows at the Highway 1
gage ranged from 6.2 to 8.6 cfs (monthly
mean 7.3 cfs), resulting in 452 acre-feet (AF).
There were 0.15 inches of rainfall in October as recorded at
the San Clemente gauge. The total rainfall for Water Year (WY) 2024 (which
started October 1, 2023) was 0.15 inches, or 19% of
the long-term year-to-date average of 0.76 inches.
CARMEL RIVER
LAGOON: The lagoon water surface elevation (WSE) was generally
steady at approximately 10.5 feet until October 19th when large
ocean swells raised the level to 11.8 feet (North American Vertical Datum of 1988; NAVD 88) (See graph below).
Water quality depth-profiles were conducted at
five sites on October 23, 2023, while the lagoon mouth was closed, water
surface elevation was ~11.7 feet, and river inflow was 8.9 cfs.
The northern arm is now reconnected to the main body. Steelhead rearing
conditions were fair. Salinity levels were higher due to wave overtopping,
ranging from 1 - 26 ppt at depth, water temperatures are beginning to cool, ranging
from 60 - 66 degrees Fahrenheit, and dissolved oxygen (DO) levels were generally
low, ranging from 0.05 - 9.6 mg/l.
FALL FIELD SAMPLING:
Annual juvenile steelhead population surveys - Environmental Resources Division staff completed
the annual juvenile steelhead population surveys at
nine sites between Valley Greens Road and Los Padres Dam. Preliminary results
show an average fish density of 0.80 fish-per-lineal-foot with the highest
densities between Stonepine and Los Padres.
Embeddedness surveys - Staff completed the annual embeddedness
surveys at 10 sites in September (substrate size and quality are
measured). Overall, the sand from the
removal of San Clemente Dam in 2015 continues to move downstream and out of the
system, and some large cobble/boulder bars were reconfigured from the high 2023
flows. Steelhead spawning and rearing habitat look good.
Benthic Macroinvertebrate (BMI) Surveys – BMI samples will be collected from six sites
in early November, continuing the District’s 23-year program analyzing steelhead
habitat and food quality.
Carmel River Lagoon Plot:
U:\staff\Boardpacket\2023\20231113\Informational
Items\23\Item-23.docx