ITEM:		CONSENT CALENDAR
6.	CONSIDER Expenditure of Budgeted Funds FOR PREPARATION OF A TEN-YEAR SUMMARY REPORT ON THE DISTRICT’S BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATE SAMPLING PROGRAM
Meeting Date:			February 25, 2010	Budgeted:	Funds are available
From:			Darby Fuerst,	Program/	Aquatic Resources/
			General Manager	Line Item No.:	Fisheries 2-3-6
Prepared By:			Beverly Chaney	Cost Estimate:	$5,400
General Counsel Review: N/A
Committee Recommendation: The Administrative Committee reviewed this item on February 12, 2010 and recommended approval.
CEQA Compliance: N/A

SUMMARY: The District initiated benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) sampling in 2000. BMI samples are collected at five locations along the Carmel River by District staff, and sent to a certified laboratory for analysis. Results from the District’s sampling are used in combination with other habitat quality measurements to form a more complete picture of the biological health of the Carmel River system. In 2003, a Three-Year Summary Report was prepared by the District’s BMI lab contractor, BioAssessment Services (BAS). With the completion of the 2009 BMI field sampling and lab identification, the District has completed ten full years of study. However, a comprehensive analysis of all of the data has not been conducted to date. The previous ten years of analysis and reporting of BMI results have been completed satisfactorily, on time, and within the budget by the firm of BioAssessment Services (BAS). This item is for authorization to contract BAS to prepare a summary of all information collected to date. A copy of the proposal for the report is included as Exhibit 6-A.

There is no separate line item for this report in the District’s Fiscal Year 2009-2010 Budget. Funds needed for the report will come out of the Facility’s General Operations and Maintenance budget under the Sleepy Hollow Facility Operations line item of the District’s Fiscal Year 2009-2010 Budget.

BACKGROUND: Since 1990, the District has been the lead agency in assessing the biological health (i.e., biological assessment) of the Carmel River. Steelhead counts, both adults and juveniles, and water quality analyses (i.e., temperature and other indicator parameters) have been collected regularly in this effort. In 1999, the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) approved the California Stream Bioassessment Procedure, based on national Rapid Bioassessment Protocols approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. CDFG and Regional Water Quality Control Boards have recommended adding the sampling of BMIs to biological assessment and mitigation programs. Examples of BMIs include the filter-feeding larvae of insects such as caddis flies, blackflies and mayflies, as well as larvae of predaceous insects such as stoneflies and dragon flies. BMIs are frequently used as indicators of overall stream conditions because they are abundant and taxonomically diverse, provide a wide range of response to changes in the aquatic environment over time and, unlike fishes, are not as likely to move from a stressed environment. Furthermore, they are relatively easy to sample and provide a direct measure of water and habitat quality, as each species has a known relative tolerance to degraded conditions.

RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the District Board authorize expenditure of budgeted funds in a not-to-exceed amount of $5,400 for the preparation of a BMI 10-Year Summary Report by BioAssessment Services.

IMPACT TO STAFF/RESOURCES: The 2009-2010 Budget includes $2,500 for Contracted Aquatic Invertebrate Identification (Line Item 2-3-6). The additional $5,000 was requested by staff for the 10-Year BMI Summary Report, but that additional money was not included in the 2009-2010 Annual Budget. The $5,400 needed for this report will be funded as follows: $550 remaining from Line Item 2-3-6 (Invertebrate Identification) and $4,850 transferred funds from the Power budget of SHSRF (Line Item 2-3-1 B). To date, approximately $38,600 has been spent from this fund, and staff estimates $12,500 is available to use due to the Facility being shut down in November. The money needed, up to $4,850, will be covered by the fund for Power at SHSRF (Line Item 2-3-1 A).

EXHIBITS

6-A Proposal for Carmel River Ten-Year Bioassessment Summary Report

U:\staff\word\boardpacket\2010\20100225\ConsentCal\06\item6.doc