ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEM/STAFF REPORT
28.	QUARTERLY CARMEL RIVER RIPARIAN CORRIDOR MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REPORT
Meeting Date:			April 18, 2022	Budgeted:	N/A
From:			Dave Stoldt,	Program/	N/A
			General Manager	Line Item No.:
Prepared By:			Thomas Christensen	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.

IRRIGATION OF RIPARIAN VEGETATION: Supplemental watering of riparian mitigation plantings and irrigation system tune-ups took place during low rainfall from January through March.

Water Use in Acre-Feet (AF)
January - March 2022	0.20 AF
Year-to-date	0.20 AF

MONITORING OF RIPARIAN VEGETATION: During the winter season, the District suspended the riparian vegetation monitoring program. The monitoring of soil moisture, groundwater levels, and canopy defoliation (a measure of vegetation moisture stress) will resume in June 2022. During the months of June through October, staff will take monthly measurements of depth to groundwater and canopy vigor in areas where willow and cottonwood trees may be impacted by lowered water levels caused by groundwater extraction. The areas monitored are in the vicinity of California American Water’s (Cal-Am) Cañada and San Carlos wells, and the District’s Valley Hills (next to Cal-Am’s Cypress Well) and Schulte (next to Cal-Am’s Schulte Well) Restoration Projects. The District’s monitoring provides insight into the status of soil moisture through the riparian corridor by collecting and analyzing monthly readings from the District’s array of monitoring wells and pumping records for large-capacity Carmel Valley wells in the Cal-Am system.

OTHER TASKS PERFORMED SINCE THE JANUARY 2022 QUARTERLY REPORT:

1. Los Padres Alternatives Study: District staff have participated in multiple Technical Review Committee (TRC) meetings with Cal-Am, AECOM, National Marine Fisheries Service, and California Department of Wildlife with regards to the Los Padres Reservoir Alternatives Study. This study is evaluating Los Padres Reservoir including alternatives such as: reservoir dredging, dam removal, and volitional fish passage. AECOM has recently circulated a draft Alternatives Development Technical Memorandum for the TRC to review. The final report is scheduled to be released in October 2022.

2. Sleepy Hollow Steelhead Rearing Facility (SHSRF): District staff have been preparing for quarantine tank replacement, chiller replacement, and electrical work at the SHSRF. Monterey Peninsula Engineering has been awarded the bid and work started on April 4, 2022.

3. Steelhead Permit Reporting Requirements: The District has been uploading steelhead rescue data from last year’s steelhead rescue season to state and federal databases. This reporting is required to keep the District’s Scientific Collecting Permit valid as well as help regulators understand the current state of steelhead on the Carmel River.

EXHIBITS

None

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