ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/STAFF REPORTS
36.	QUARTERLY IRRIGATION PROGRAM AND RIPARIAN PROJECTS REPORT
Meeting Date:			April 21, 2008	Budgeted:	N/A
From:			Darby Fuerst,	Program/	N/A
			General Manager	Line Item No.:
Prepared By:			Thomas Christensen	Cost Estimate:	N/A
General Counsel Approval: N/A
Committee Recommendation: N/A
CEQA Compliance: N/A

IRRIGATION OF RIPARIAN VEGETATION: The supplemental watering of riparian restoration plantings has been on hold during this quarterly period (January through March 2008) at the eleven Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (District) riparian habitat restoration sites because of sufficient soil moisture.

Water Use in Acre-Feet (AF)

(preliminary values subject to revision)

January - March 2008 0.00 AF

Year-to-date 0.00 AF

MONITORING OF RIPARIAN VEGETATION: During the winter season, the District suspended the riparian vegetation monitoring program. The monitoring of soil moisture, groundwater levels, and canopy defoliation (a measure of vegetation moisture stress) will resume in May 2008. During the months of May through October, staff will take weekly measurements of depth to groundwater and canopy vigor in areas where willow and cottonwood trees may be impacted by lowered water levels caused by groundwater extraction. The areas monitored are in the vicinity of California American Water’s (CAW) Cañada and San Carlos wells and the District’s Valley Hills and Schulte Restoration Projects. The District’s monitoring provides insight into the status of soil moisture through the riparian corridor by collecting and analyzing weekly readings from the District’s array of monitoring wells and pumping records for large-capacity Carmel Valley wells in the CAW system.

OTHER TASKS PERFORMED SINCE THE JANUARY 2008 QUARTERLY REPORT:

1. French Broom (Genista) Eradication in District Restoration Projects: District staff (Bekker, Lyons, and Kenner) have been removing an invasive weed (French broom, or genista) from the Schulte, DeDampierre, Red Rock, and All Saints Restoration Projects. French broom competes with native plants and can become problematic if left unchecked.  

2. Carmel River Clean Up: District River Maintenance Workers (Bekker and Lyons) cleaned trash and debris from the Carmel River from Esquiline Road Bridge to the Trail and Saddle Club and from the Red Rock Restoration Project to the All Saints Restoration Project.

3. San Clemente Dam Seismic Safety Project: MPWMD staff members Kevan Urquhart, Thomas Christensen and Larry Hampson attended a February 6, 2008 Carmel River Watershed Conservancy Technical Advisory Committee meeting on the San Clemente Dam Seismic Safety Project Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS). The primary focus of the meeting was updated information on the proposed Carmel River Reroute and Dam Removal Project (Reroute Alternative), which is an alternative to the buttressing project that CAW has proposed in response to the state’s mandate to strengthen existing San Clemente Dam due to its potential for significant earthquake damage. Representatives from the California Coastal Conservancy, California Department of Water Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, Resource Conservation District of Monterey County, Planning and Conservation League, Carmel River Steelhead Association, Ventana Wildlife Society, Coastal Watershed Council, and Coast Keeper also attended.

U:\staff\word\boardpacket\2008\2008boardpackets\20080421\InfoItems\36\item36.doc