ITEM:

INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/STAFF REPORTS

 

20.

CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR AUGUST 2017

 

Meeting Date:

September 18, 2017

Budgeted: 

N/A

 

From:

David J. Stoldt,

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:  This action does not constitute a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Section 15378.

 

AQUATIC HABITAT AND FLOW CONDITIONS:  Carmel River flows held relatively steady in August with conditions for juvenile steelhead migration fair to poor and rearing conditions good to fair for young-of-the-year. Los Padres Dam (LPD) stopped spilling on August 2nd and releases from Los Padres Reservoir have been held at 15 cfs since August 3.

Mean daily streamflow at the Sleepy Hollow Weir ranged from 19 to 17 cfs (monthly mean 18.4 cfs) resulting in 1,130 acre-feet (AF) of runoff. Mean daily streamflow at Highway 1 gage ranged from 8.8 to 6.3 cfs (monthly mean 7.54 cfs), resulting in 464 AF of runoff.

There were 0.00 inches of rainfall in August as recorded at Cal-Am’s San Clemente gauge. The rainfall total for WY 2017 (which started on October 1, 2016) is 32.22 inches, or 153% of the long-term year-to-date average of 21.00 inches. 

 CARMEL RIVER LAGOON:  During August the lagoon mouth remained closed and the water surface elevation (WSE) held steady at approximately 9.0 feet above mean-sea-level (see graph below).  

 

Water-quality profiles were conducted at five lagoon sites on August 25 when the mouth was closed. Conditions for steelhead varied with depth but were generally “fair” above two meters with salinity <1.0 ppt, dissolved oxygen (DO) levels 4 - 10 mg/l, and water temperatures ranging from 65 - 69 degrees Fahrenheit.  

 

SUMMER STEELHEAD RESCUES:  No additional fish rescues were needed in August.  Through the end of August, a total of 5,496 fish had been rescued in the tributaries (5,436 YOY, 32 1+ year olds, and 28 morts).

FALL SURVEYS:  Staff completed annual embeddedness/substrate size surveys at 13 sites (from Highway 1 to Los Padres Dam) and began planning for the September/October juvenile steelhead population surveys. MPWMD staff will be working closely with National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) staff this year to collect data from additional river sites (up to 30 total) as well as conducting fish tagging activities.

 

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