ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEM/STAFF REPORT
22.	QUARTERLY CARMEL RIVER RIPARIAN CORRIDOR MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REPORT
Meeting Date:			April 21, 2025	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: Irrigation of riparian vegetation has been on hold because of sufficient rainfall.

Water Use in Acre-Feet (AF)
January - March 2025	0.00 AF
Year-to-date	0.00 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 2025. 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 2025 QUARTERLY REPORT:

1. Public Outreach: On March 27, 2025, staff presented information on the District’s Vegetation Management Program at the Carmel Valley Community Center. Highlights included the history of the Carmel River, general river dynamics, and how the District manages vegetation to prevent problems associated with downed trees or constrictions in the channel.

EXHIBIT

None

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