ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/STAFF REPORTS
29.	QUARTERLY CARMEL RIVER EROSION PROTECTION AND RESTORATION PROJECTS REPORT
Meeting Date:			July 21, 2008	Budgeted:	N/A
From:			Darby Fuerst	Program/	N/A
			General Manager	Line Item No.:
Prepared By:			Larry Hampson	Cost Estimate:	N/A
General Counsel Approval: N/A
Committee Recommendation: N/A
CEQA Compliance: N/A

Carmel River Advisory Committee Meeting: On April 24, 2008, the Carmel River Advisory Committee held a Special Workshop to hear a presentation by Tom Moss from the Monterey County Water Resources Agency on the revised FEMA Flood Insurance Study for Monterey County. On June 12, 2008, the Carmel River Advisory Committee held a Regular Meeting. Final minutes of these meetings are periodically provided to the MPWMD Board of Directors under Committee Reports (see Informational Items in monthly Board packets).

State Proposition 50/84/1E Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Grant Program: District staff are continuing to work with representatives of the six IRWM planning regions along the Central Coast and with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary to identify water resource strategies and projects that would benefit the entire Central Coast hydrologic unit (coastal watersheds and inland areas from Santa Cruz County to the Santa Barbara County line). The six IRWM planning regions have agreed to work together to develop a consensus and recommendation for the California Department of Water Resources to consider concerning funding priorities for water resource management along the Central Coast.

Carmel River Lagoon and State Beach Management: District staff provided data and recommendations to the Lagoon Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) about the timing and configuration for closing the lagoon to outflow this past spring. State Parks closed the lagoon with three bulldozers on May 5-6, 2008. The lagoon reached a maximum level of approximately 8.2 feet (NGVD 1929) a little more than a week later, but has fallen to just over four feet recently.

District staff also provided information to the Carmel Area Wastewater District for inclusion in a grant application to the State Water Resources Control Board grant program to improve water quality in areas of special biological significance (ASBS). The proposal is one of four companion projects that are designed to divert dry-weather and some first-flush runoff from the Carmel Bay ASBS into a terminal wetland near the lagoon.

Carmel River Long Profile: Graham Matthews and Associates provided a final report describing the 2007 survey of the long profile in the channel of the Carmel River. The report also compares historical data from selected reaches. As expected, the 2007 survey shows that the thalweg (lowest point in the channel) in the lower several miles of the river has dropped to its lowest point since 1978. Staff has recently documented damage at several bridges due to channel degradation and scour. It appears that this trend is likely to continue in the near future. However, a more comprehensive analysis is necessary to determine the magnitude of sediment loss in the channel bottom and potential effects on infrastructure.

San Clemente Dam Seismic Safety Project: On June 5, 2008, the State Coastal Conservancy (SCC) approved up to $6 million for preparing design plans and permits for the San Clemente Dam Removal Project. Kent Turner, President of California American Water (CAW), attended the SCC meeting and confirmed that CAW would provide up to half of this amount (up to $3 million). These funds will enable the SCC to contract for engineering design and pre-project efforts. The SCC will take the lead in developing preliminary project plans and permit applications. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in 2010. As more detailed designs are developed, the SCC will provide updates to the community via email and through their website at: www.scc.ca.gov/Programs/SanClementeDam.htm. The Planning and Conservation League Foundation will also continue to work with community members and local organizations to facilitate communication on project updates. Over the next several months, the SCC, CAW, and NOAA Fisheries will be working together to develop a formal project implementation agreement that will specify each organization's roles and responsibilities for the dam removal project.

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