WATER SUPPLY PLANNING COMMITTEE

ITEM:		DISCUSSION ITEM
3.	Future of Los Padres Dam and the District’s Role, Including Public Support for District Ownership
Meeting Date:			November 15, 2012
From:			Dave Stoldt,
			General Manager
Prepared By:			Larry Hampson

SUMMARY:

Draft Steelhead Recovery Plan: On October 19, 2012, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced the availability of the “Public Review Draft South-Central California Coast Steelhead Recovery Plan” (Draft Recovery Plan) and solicited review and comments from the public and interested parties. Comments are due no later than December 18, 2012. The Executive Summary and chapter on the Carmel River Basin are attached as Exhibit 3-A. The goal of the plan is to “…prevent the extinction of South-Central California Coast steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the wild and to ensure the long-term persistence of viable, self-sustaining, populations of steelhead distributed across the South-Central California Coast Steelhead (SCCCS) Distinct Population Segment (DPS). It is also the goal of this Recovery Plan to establish a sustainable South-Central California steelhead sport fishery.” The timeframe for implementation of the plan is estimated at 80 to 100 years. Chapter 10 is devoted to the Carmel River Basin. One of the critical recovery actions identified by NMFS is the removal of Los Padres Dam (Table 10-3), which is characterized as “A pervasive threat to anadromous O. mykiss” (i.e., ocean-going Carmel River steelhead).

As one of the key agencies involved in managing the Carmel River and in particular, flow releases to the lower river from Los Padres Reservoir, the District should review and provide comments on the Draft Recovery Plan. Staff is proposing to request direction from the MPWMD Board of Directors at its December 10, 2012 meeting about how to respond to the Draft Recovery Plan.

Los Padres Dam and Reservoir presents difficult challenges as well as opportunities. At their January 26, 2012 meeting, the Carmel River Advisory Committee (CRAC) considered whether to sponsor a community workshop to take input on the Los Padres Dam and Reservoir and its effect on water supply for the Monterey Peninsula and on the environment of the Carmel River. Exhibit 3-B, which is a portion of the staff note provided at the meeting, contains a brief listing of the status and current operation of the dam and reservoir and some of the associated issues. The CRAC voted to establish a committee to further investigate holding a public workshop (see Exhibit 3-C, meeting minutes). However, the committee has not convened a meeting to date.

To address one the fundamental problems associated with Los Padres Dam, California American Water is carrying out a study of sediment removal. The study will evaluate alternatives for removing sediment, including restoration of storage to the original capacity (3,030 acre-feet) by removing 1.9 million cubic yards of sediment deposit. This information is necessary in order to make informed decisions about the future of this facility and should be available within the next few months. In addition to this study, Cal-Am, MPWMD, NMFS and the California Department of Fish and Game have developed plans to improve fish passage through the spillway. However, sufficient funds to complete spillway improvements have not been committed.

District ownership of Los Padres Dam: In addition to management issues associated with the presence or absence of Los Padres Dam on the Carmel River, there are several considerations from a public policy perspective about public ownership of the dam. In a 2007 analysis by the Monterey Peninsula League of Women Voters entitled STUDY ON PRIVATE V. PUBLIC OWNERSHIP OF WATER SYSTEMS, the following statement on significant public policy issues is contained in Section 7:

“The public wants an entity whose mission is to provide quality, affordable water to the ratepayers on a continuous basis and cost-effective basis. To achieve the goal, public policy issues that might be considered are:

• Decision making process (Private or Public; governance structure)

• Public participation – advisory boards, public votes on projects, transparency

• Agency/Company size – geographical area, county, regional, sub-regional

• Rate structure

• Long-term planning, budgeting, maintenance

• Staffing to achieve goal

• Efficiency”

STAFF RECOMMENDATION: The Water Supply Planning Committee may wish to consider making a recommendation to the Board of Directors about a District response to the Draft Recovery Plan and about public ownership of Los Padres Dam.

EXHIBITS

3-A Excerpts from “Public Review Draft South-Central California Coast Steelhead Recovery Plan”

3-B Staff note for January 26, 2012 Carmel River Advisory Committee

3-C Minutes for January 26, 2012 Carmel River Advisory Committee

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