ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/STAFF REPORTS
24.	CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR FEBRUARY 2010
Meeting Date:			March 15, 2010	Budgeted:	N/A
From:			Darby Fuerst,	Program/	N/A
			General Manager	Line Item No.:
Prepared By:			Beverly Chaney	Cost Estimate:	N/A
General Counsel Review: N/A
Committee Recommendation: N/A
CEQA Compliance: N/A

AQUATIC HABITAT AND FLOW CONDITIONS: Streamflow conditions for fish migration were excellent for adults in February 2010, and optimal for smolts and juvenile fish with continuous flow to the lagoon throughout the month.

During February, the mean daily streamflow recorded at the District’s Carmel River at Sleepy Hollow Weir gaging station was 314 cubic-feet per second (cfs) and ranged from 173 to 744 cfs. Unimpaired runoff at San Clemente Dam (SCD) for the month of February 2010 was 17,452 acre-feet, which was 103% of the February mean of 17,044 AF. Unimpaired runoff at SCD for Water Year (WY) 2010 to date, which started the first of October 2009, has totaled 49,460 AF or about 134% of the long-term average to date for this site, and 72% of the long-term annual average of 68,630 AF. During February 2010, 4.25 inches of rainfall were recorded at California American Water’s (Cal-Am) SCD gage. The rainfall total for the month of February was 96% of the normal mean of 4.41 inches at SCD. The rainfall total for WY 2010 to date is 19.91 inches, which is 128% of the long-term average to date at this site, and 93% of the long-term annual average of 21.34 inches.

CARMEL RIVER LAGOON: During February 2010, the lagoon’s water-surface elevation (WSE) ranged from approximately 2.2 to 7.1 feet above mean sea level (see graph below). The lagoon was likely open all month although high tides and storm waves caused the lagoon to become “backwatered” on several occasions, raising the WSE. Water quality in the lagoon was adequate for steelhead rearing.

ADULT STEELHEAD AT SCD: The fish counter and video camera were installed at the ladder on October 17, 2009. The first fish recorded over the counter was on October 17. As of February 28, 2010, a total of 90 fish have been recorded passing the counter, including two in October, five in November, three in December, 25 in January, and 55 in February (see graph below). By the end of February 2010, 21 fish were reported at Cal-Am’s Los Padres Dam Fish Trap (see graph below). These numbers nearly match the total counts for the whole season seen at these locations in 2009, and we are still a week from the normal mid-point of the run, which indicates a significant recovery from last year’s lows.

TOTAL THRU
02/28/10

90

MONTH	NUMBER OF FISH
OCT 2009	2
NOV 2009	5
DEC 2009	3
JAN 2010	25
FEB 2010	55

PROVISIONAL DATA--SUBJECT TO CHANGE

TOTAL THRU
03/01/2010

21

MONTH	NUMBER OF ADULTS
DEC 2009	0
JAN 2010	0
FEB 2010	21
MAR 2010	0
APR 2010
MAY 2010

SOURCE DATA: CALIFORNIA AMERICAN WATER

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