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ITEM: |
INFORMATIONAL ITEM/STAFF REPORT |
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18. |
CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR OCTOBER 2024 |
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Meeting Date: |
November 18, 2024 |
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: |
Cory Hamilton |
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: October first is the start of the new Water
Year. The Central Coast experienced a
heat wave with record-breaking temperatures during the first week of
October. These extreme temperatures
coupled with continuous groundwater pumping caused the mainstem river to dry up
intermittently around Cal Am’s Rancho Canada production well. Approximately a half mile reach of river was
impacted during this event. After the
heat subsided, and a cold front moved through, this reach became rewet
again. District staff monitored this
situation closely, initiated a fish rescue prior to the dry back and was able
to rescue stranded fish in this reach.
After this heat event, October was much more characteristic, which means
fall has set in and river conditions tend to stabilize, with base flows
experiencing a slight increase, due to less demand both environmentally and municipally.
October’s streamflow at the Sleepy Hollow Weir gaging station ranged from 8.2 to 10 cfs (mean 9.4
cfs), while flows at the Highway 1 gage ranged from 0.23 to 6.2 cfs
(mean 2.7 cfs).
At the end of October, Los Padres Reservoir
water surface elevation (WSE) was 1,014 ft with 671 acre-foot of water storage.
Flow release out of the reservoir was 9 cfs, while the incoming flow into the
reservoir was 5 cfs.
There was no rainfall in October as recorded at the San
Clemente gauge. The total rainfall for Water Year (WY) 2025 (which started
October 1, 2024) is zero.
FISH RESCUE: Staff
initiated mainstem fish rescues on October 4th as the reach around
Cal Am’s Rancho Canada well started to go intermittent and dry back. Staff rescued 330 fish during this period and
released mainstem fish into the Lagoon.
At of the end of October, a total of 5,609 fish have been rescued this
season from drying reaches of the mainstem Carmel River and its tributaries. Staff
continue to monitor conditions in the lower mainstem Carmel River in case
rescues need to be re-initiated there.
JUVENILE
STEELHEAD POPULATION SURVEY: Staff initiated its annual juvenile steelhead
population surveys in October. There are
10 index sites annually surveyed for steelhead density, which assist with the
annual assessment of the overall health and trends of the Carmel River
steelhead population. Results of these data will be reported in next month’s
Carmel River Fishery Report.
CARMEL
RIVER LAGOON: In October, the lagoon’s Water Surface Elevation
(WSE) ranged from approximately 8.25-9.75 feet (NGVD 1988) (see graph below). Water
quality depth-profiles were conducted at five sites on October 25, 2024, while
the lagoon mouth was closed, water surface elevation was 9.25 feet at the time
of sampling, and river inflow was approximately 4.8 cfs. The North Arm of the lagoon is dry. There is a
salinity stratification layer at about 1.0 meter
depth, below this depth salinity increases sharply. High salinity observations reduce the amount
of suitable habitat for juvenile fish. Salinity levels ranged from 1-19 parts
per thousand (ppt), water temperatures ranged from 57-67 degrees Fahrenheit, and
dissolved oxygen (DO) levels ranged from 2.0 -11.7 mg/l.
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