1.         Management Objectives

The Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (District) desires to maximize the long-term production potential and protect the environmental quality of the Carmel River and Seaside Groundwater Basins.  In addition, the District desires to maximize the amount of water that can be diverted from the Carmel River Basin and injected into the Seaside Groundwater Basin while complying with the instream flow requirements recommended by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to protect the Carmel River steelhead population.  To accomplish these goals, a water supply strategy and budget for production within California American Water’s (CAW) Main and Laguna Seca Subarea water distribution systems is reviewed quarterly to determine the optimal strategy for operations, given the current hydrologic and system conditions. 

2.         Quarterly Water Supply Strategy: January - March 2010

On December 3, 2009, staff from the District, CAW, the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), and NMFS met and discussed the proposed water supply strategy and related topics for the remainder of December 2009 and the January-March 2010 period.  Currently, flow in the Carmel River is unregulated, with both San Clemente Reservoir Los Padres Reservoir spilling, and Los Padres Reservoir is temporarily at more than 100% of effective storage capacity, i.e., 1790 vs. 1775 AF with the notch’s flashboard in place.  Flow in the Carmel River is continuous to the lagoon, and the lagoon mouth is open.  Rainfall during Water Year 2010 to date at San Clemente Dam in the upper watershed has totaled 5.33 inches or 187% of the long-term average to date at this site, and 25% of the long-term annual average of 21.3 inches.  Further, unimpaired runoff at San Clemente Dam for WY 2010 through November has totaled approximately 7,196 AF or about 396% of the long-term average to date for this site, and 10% of the long-term annual average of 68,627 AF.       

Carmel River Basin     Given these conditions, early rains in October 2009,  and early season runoff projections, it was agreed that “below normal year” inflows would be initially assumed to assess CAW’s operations during the January through March 2010 period.   To meet customer demand, CAW would operate its wells in the Lower Carmel Valley in a downstream-to-upstream sequence, as needed.  For the quarterly budget, it was agreed that CAW would produce no groundwater from its wells in the Upper Carmel Valley during January through March 2010.  If sufficient flow in the Carmel River at the District’s Don Juan Bridge gage in Garland Park, i.e., five consecutive days of 20 or more cubic feet per second (cfs), continues to occur to justify operations allowed under the less restrictive high-flow period, CAW could operate these wells if needed.  In addition, it is projected that CAW would produce approximately 1,215, 1,198, and 1,368 AF of groundwater from its wells in the Lower Carmel Valley during January, February, and March 2010, respectively.  Table 1 shows projected monthly releases and diversions from Los Padres and San Clemente Reservoirs for the October 2009 through March 2010 period.

It was also agreed that releases from Los Padres Reservoir would be increased during December, if necessary, so that flow in the Carmel River at both the District’s Sleepy Hollow Weir gage below San Clemente Dam, and the District’s gage at Highway 1 would be sufficient to allow Phase 1 ASR injection operations in December, and to potentially provide minimal upstream passage flows for steelhead.  This increase would provide additional flow and habitat in the lower Carmel River for juvenile steelhead that have been released from the District’s Sleepy Hollow Steelhead Rearing Facility into the Carmel River and Lagoon.  District staff began releasing juveniles from the facility on November 6, 2009 and finished on December 1, 2009. 

Lastly, it was assumed that 265, 330, and 370 AF of water would be diverted from the Carmel River Basin and injected into the Seaside Groundwater Basin during the during January, February, and March 2010, respectively.  Because of the uncertainty in predicting future rainfall and runoff amounts, this assumption is subject to change.

Seaside Groundwater Basin    It was also agreed that, subject to rainfall and runoff conditions in the Carmel River, CAW would cease production from the Coastal Subareas and allow the Seaside Basin to naturally recharge.  It was also agreed that CAW would produce 11, 10, and 14 AF of groundwater from its wells in the Laguna Seca Subarea of the Seaside Basin for customers in the Ryan Ranch, Bishop, and Hidden Hills systems during January, February, and March 2010, respectively.  It is recognized that, based on recent historical use, CAW’s actual production from the Laguna Seca Subarea during this period will likely exceed the proposed monthly targets, which are based on CAW’s allocation specified in the Seaside Basin Adjudication Decision.  For example, in the January through March 2009 period, CAW produced 29, 21, and 26 AF from the Laguna Seca Subarea to meet customer demand in the Ryan Ranch, Bishop, and Hidden Hills systems.  In this context, the production targets represent the maximum monthly production that should occur so that CAW remains within its adjudicated allocation for the Laguna Seca Subarea.  Under the amended Seaside Basin Decision, CAW is allowed to use production savings in the Coastal Subareas to offset over-production in the Laguna Seca Subarea.        

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