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ITEM: |
INFORMATIONAL
ITEM/STAFF REPORT |
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24. |
CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR MARCH
2020 |
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Meeting Date: |
April
20, 2020 |
Budgeted: |
N/A |
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From: |
David J. Stoldt, |
Program/ |
N/A |
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General Manager |
Line Item No.: |
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Prepared By: |
Beverly Chaney |
Cost Estimate: |
N/A |
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General
Counsel Review: N/A |
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Committee Recommendation: N/A |
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CEQA Compliance: This action does not
constitute a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act
Guidelines Section 15378. |
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AQUATIC HABITAT AND FLOW CONDITIONS: After the driest February on record with
0.0 inches of rain, the storms finally arrived in March with 19 days of
measurable precipitation. Mainstem flows were close to the long-term averages the
second half of the month, and passage conditions improved from “poor to good”
for adult steelhead and from “fair to excellent” for smolts. Rearing conditions
for juveniles also improved to “excellent”.
March’s mean daily streamflow at the Sleepy
Hollow Weir rose from 39 to 181 cubic-feet-per-second (cfs)
(monthly mean 80.0 cfs) resulting in 4,920
acre-feet (AF) of runoff. Mean daily streamflow at the Highway 1 gage rose from
37 to 153 cfs (monthly mean 80.9 cfs) resulting in 4,980 acre-feet (AF) of runoff.
There were 3.94 inches
of rainfall in March as recorded at the San Clemente gauge. The rainfall
total for WY 2020 (which started on October 1, 2019) is 15.42 inches, or 82% of
the long-term year-to-date average of 18.81 inches.
LOS PADRES DAM ADULT
STEELHEAD COUNT: The Los Padres Dam fish ladder and trap started operating on
December 12, 2019. The ladder was turned on and off intermittently since
mid-February due to continued movement of the large landslide in the reservoir
that is affecting the outlet pipe. As of March 31, 21 adult steelhead have been
trapped and transported above the dam, seven of those were tagged by National
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) crews.
CARMEL RIVER
LAGOON: The lagoon mouth opened
on December 3, 2019. The lagoon’s water surface elevation (WSE) was
variable in February, with several brief closings primarily from wave and tidal
action, ranging from ~4.0 – 12.5 feet (North American Vertical Datum of 1988; NAVD 88) (See graph below).
Water quality
depth-profiles were not conducted in March due to the Covid-19 shutdown but a
spot check on March 13th, when the lagoon was closed, found
excellent DO and temperature levels and moderate salinity.
Carmel River Lagoon Plot:
U:\staff\Boardpacket\2020\20200420\InfoItems\24\Item-24.docx