August 1,
2003
Board of
Directors
Monterey Peninsula Water
Management District
P.O. Box
85
Monterey,
CA 93942
Dear Members of the Board:
The following significant events
or issues are provided for your information.
If you have any questions, please contact me at the District office at
(831) 658-5650. My email address is fran@mpwmd.dst.ca.us. I will be in the District office the week of
August 4.
1.
Water Supply Project EIR: The District received the final Right of
Entry Permit package from California Department of Parks and Recreation
for the planned test wells to better characterize the coastal dune
aquifer. Staff and consultants continue to work with the remaining four
agencies from which permits are needed. Staff provided additional
information to the City of Seaside in preparation for the August 13, 2003
Planning Commission hearing. Letters were transmitted to parties who
commented on the Carmel River Flow Threshold Report (see five letters attached).
Contact Henrietta Stern at 658-5621/henri@mpwmd.dst.ca.us.
2.
San Clemente Reservoir Interim Drawdown Project: The drawdown at San Clemente Reservoir began
on June 23, 2003, as scheduled. Due to
turbidity increases, Cal-Am postponed the drawdown below the 520-foot elevation
on Tuesday, July 1, 2003. Following
placement of a 600-foot long pipeline and cofferdam to help control turbidity,
Cal-Am resumed the drawdown on July 20, 2003 and continued until the reservoir
elevation reached 515.11 feet on July 23, 2003. In concert with the renewed
drawdown, turbidity levels increased to a maximum of 25 Nephelmetric Turbidity
Units (NTUs) in San Clemente Reservoir (Figure
1). This week, spot measurements of turbidity at the Sleepy Hollow
Facility showed levels of about 11 NTUs in the river and 7 NTUs in the rearing
channel, where a portion of the organic matter and fine silts is depositing
near the upper end of the channel.
Staff has noted that turbidity in the channel and tanks is high enough
to hamper maintenance operations and may be affecting feeding of fish,
particularly in the rearing tanks, where the material tends to remain in
suspension. Staff is continuing to
monitor turbidity at the Sleepy Hollow Weir and will provide further reports,
as time allows. Contact Dave Dettman at 658-5643/dave@mpwmd.dst.ca.us.
Figure
1. Turbidity measured in the Carmel
River below San Clemente Reservoir.
Source: Entrix, Inc. 2003. Preliminary data is subject to revision.
3.
Sleepy Hollow Steelhead Rearing Facility (Facility): Currently, the Facility is in production
mode with all pumps functioning normally and the cooling tower running. By Wednesday,
July 30, 2003, staff had stocked approximately 8,500 fish at the Facility. Most fish are doing well, except for a small
group of intermediate-sized fish that have contracted a fungal infection. Staff is culling this group and considering
treatment with formaldehyde to control the infection. Contact Dave Dettman at 658-5643/dave@mpwmd.dst.ca.us,
or Beverly Chaney at 658-5644/beverly@mpwmd.dst.ca.us.
4.
2003 Rescue Season: Staff began annual rescues on June 30, 2003 at the Highway 1
Bridge. By July 30, 2003, approximately 25,000 fish had been rescued from the
lower four miles of stream and stocked between the Narrows and Robles Del Rio,
in the Lagoon, or at the Sleepy Hollow Rearing Facility. Most notable is the
abundance of juvenile steelhead throughout the reach above Via Mallorca
Road. For example, the staff rescued
over 1,900 fish in one day from a quarter-mile long section of the river
upstream of San Carlos Bridge. The
record numbers are probably a reflection of improved substrate conditions,
increased numbers of returning adult steelhead due to past rescues of
juvenile steelhead in this reach, and high reproductive success due to low, but
adequate flows for spawning, embryo incubation, and fry emergence. Contact Dave Dettman at 658-5643/dave@mpwmd.dst.ca.us, Beverly
Chaney at 658-5644/beverly@mpwmd.dst.ca.us
or Cory Hamilton at 658-5646/cory@mpwmd.dst.ca.us.
5.
Water Distribution Systems: District staff continued follow-up
activities associated with the Cañada
Woods Water Distribution System (WDS) approval. Staff worked
with consultants to review pending application materials; met with several
potential applicants; and provided information over the phone to citizens who
are concerned about water available for new construction or remodels in the
Hidden Hills area. The Hidden Hills WDS is approaching its annual
production limit of 229.9 AF/yr. The
District is currently issuing permits for new construction and remodels within
Hidden Hills, but property owners fear a "moratorium" on permits if
the system exceeds its annual production limit, measured from October 1, 2002
through September 30, 2003. The District is also
obtaining documents from the California Public Utilities Commission
regarding Hidden Hills to help respond to citizen questions.
District staff and Cal-Am staff will meet on August 11 to discuss a
variety of system and operational issues. District staff members
are nearing completion of updates to the District Rules and
Regulations to incorporate Ordinances 100-108. The District has received
feedback from affected agencies regarding refinements to a proposed Amendment 2
to a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) concerning water management in
areas of overlapping jurisdiction, such as the former Fort Ord. A meeting
among the MOA parties is scheduled for August 4, 2003. Contact Henrietta Stern at 658-5621/henri@mpwmd.dst.ca.us.
6.
Water Rights: On July 29, 2003, Director Lehman, Acting
General Manager Farina, General Counsel Laredo, Andy Bell and Darby Fuerst met
with senior staff of the State Water Resources Control Board in
Sacramento to discuss a variety of issues relating to water rights. The
meeting was informative and productive, and will result in a variety of
follow-up activities in the coming weeks. Contact Fran Farina at 658-5650/fran@mpwmd.dst.ca.us.
7.
Streamflow
Monitoring:
Staff completed the draft Carmel River Basin Surface Water Resources
Data Report - Water Years (WY) 2000-2002 internal review. The data report serves as a final
compilation of surface water data collected within the Carmel River Basin via
the District's Streamflow Monitoring Program, and is the third report in a
series that begins with WY 1992. It is
anticipated that the report will be finalized and published in August
2003. In addition, as a coordinated
effort with Cal-Am's dam tender, staff installed a staff gage in the Los Padres
Reservoir outlet works channel (located at the toe of the dam), and developed a
stage/discharge relationship (rating table) for the stream channel at the staff
gage. The purpose of the new staff gage
and associated rating table is to allow the dam tender to accurately adjust
reservoir releases in a timely manner.
Regarding updated flow conditions, streamflow at the District's Carmel
River at Highway 1 Bridge (HWY 1) gaging station ceased for the season on July
26, 2003. Staff completed daily flow
computation for the HWY 1 site, which totaled 52,000 acre-feet (AF) for WY
2003. This annual total is more than
twice the WY 2002 total of 24,860 AF.
Contact Greg James at 658-5641/james@mpwmd.dst.ca.us.
8.
Water Permit Issuance: A water permit was issued for the new
library/technology center at Monterey Peninsula College. The construction
was offset by replacing Cal-Am irrigation on the college's ballfields with well
water from an on-site well. The college has retrofitted its entire site
with ultra-low flush toilets, faucets and showerheads and now complies with the
District's conservation requirements. Staff will be conducting a
follow-up final inspection next week.
Contact Stephanie Pintar at 658-5630/steph@mpwmd.dst.ca.us.
9.
Water West Adjustment Reserve: Notice was provided to residents of Carmel
Valley about the Board's July 21, 2003 change to Rule 33 (C), Water West
Adjustment Reserve. The following activities were undertaken this week:
·
Letters
and emails were sent to the Monterey County Planning and Building Inspection
Department (Scott Hennessy, Alana Knaster, Lisa Bloom), Monterey County Water
Resources Agency (Curtis Weeks, Tom Moss, Mike Logsdon), Cal-Am (Steve Leonard,
Leslie Silva) and Monterey County Association of Realtors (Sheryl
McKenzie). A sample letter is attached.
·
A
display ad was placed with the Monterey County Herald. The ad ran on
Wednesday in the Food section of the paper. Staff had specified placement
in the Local section. The ad will run for an additional four weeks in the
Local section and the gray background will be eliminated.
·
The
District's website was updated to include information about the Water West
Reserve allocation. The website includes an information sheet and a
map. Further refinements to the website will occur during the next week.
·
Large
notices were posted in prominent locations on utility poles in the former Water
West area.
·
A
legal ad will be placed in the Monterey County Herald once a week for four
weeks.
·
Television
interview with Felix Cortez of KSBW Channel 8 aired July 31, 2003. Contact Stephanie Pintar at
658-5630/steph@mpwmd.dst.ca.us.
10.
Disposal of Surplus Vehicles: On Saturday, July 26, 2003, the City of
Seaside held an auction to dispose of surplus equipment. The City graciously allowed the District to
sell two of its surplus pickups at the auction in exchange for a small
contribution towards the auctioneer’s fee.
A special thank you goes to Bjorn Lundegard, the City’s Public Works
Superintendent, for allowing the District to participate on such short
notice. Contact Rick Dickhaut at
658-5614/rick@mpwmd.dst.ca.us.
11.
Meeting with Special District Risk Management
Association (SDRMA): On July 31, 2003, District staff
members (Farina, Bell, Schmidlin, and Hampson) and General Counsel Laredo
met with Dennis Timoney from SDRMA to review the District's insurance policy
and its application to District-sponsored activities in the
field. The discussion was focused on potential
liability from carrying out river restoration projects. Mr.
Timoney stated that claims made against the District arising as a
result of an "occurrence" or "event," such as a flood,
would be aggregated and insured up to the District's liability limit
(currently $10,000,000). Multiple floods would be considered separate events,
each of which would be insured up to the District's limit. Mr. Timoney
suggested that MPWMD could include property owners as additional insureds on a
project-by-project basis (i.e., each project would have a separate insurance certificate
with a list of properties insured). General Counsel Laredo will
work with Mr. Timoney to develop language to be used in future project access
agreements between the District and individual property owners on whose
property the District wishes to construct river restoration projects.
Contact Larry Hampson at 659-2543/larry@mpwmd.dst.ca.us.
12.
Meeting with Carmel River Watershed Council (CRWC): On July
30, 2003, District staff (Farina, Dettman, Christensen, Chaney, and
Hampson) met with CRWC representatives to discuss CRWC's request for
District assistance with the CRWC's Watershed Assessment for the
Carmel River. The Acting General Manager indicated that the
District looks forward to a collaborative effort with CRWC request. Professional services will be compensated
but staff will also be volunteering time outside of work hours. The District has already provided many
original documents of interest to the CRWC.
Contact Thomas Christensen at 659-2543/thomas@mpwmd.dst.ca.us.
13.
Special Districts Risk Management Training: On July 30, 2003, District staff (Schmidlin)
attended a Human Resources/Risk Management training provided jointly by the
California Special Districts Association and the Special Districts Risk
Management Association (SDRMA).
Attending this training was not only informative but also earned the
District credits towards a discount of its FY 2004-2005 liability insurance
premium. Active participation in
SDRMA’s incentive program, which gives credits for education, safety meetings
and updated policies and practices, saved the District $4,698 this fiscal year.
14.
District Web Site Updates: A
slide presentation on the MPWMD-sponsored Schulte Restoration Project is now
available (see the "Programs" web page). District
staff is also working on a web version of the District's brochure on
protecting and enhancing the Carmel River. Contact Larry Hampson at 659-2543/larry@mpwmd.dst.ca.us.
15.
Public Outreach: District staff
provided extensive notice regarding water availability in the former Water
West service area, including giving a television interview, legal notices,
advertisements, posting notices and a special section on the District
website. Contact Stephanie Pintar at 658-5630/steph@mpwmd.dst.ca.us. The 2002 Annual Report was received from the printer this
week and has been distributed to various organizations and individuals. Additional copies are available at the
District office. The report has also
been posted on the website. Contact Rick Dickhaut at 658-5614/rick@mpwmd.dst.ca.us. Attached is a letter responding to suggestions by Mr. Lou
Haddad (see letter attached). Contact
Henrietta Stern at 658-5621/henri@mpwmd.dst.ca.us.
16.
Letters Received: Attached are 8 letters prepared by staff on
July 25, July 30, and July 31, 2003 and one letter received on July 30, 2003.
17.
Ex-Parte Communications List: Attached for your review is the list of
persons subject to ex parte communications rules. The list was last updated on June 25, 2003.
18.
Important Dates:
·
Administrative Committee Meeting August
12, 2003 8:15 AM
i. Regular
Board Meeting August
18, 2003 7:00 PM
·
Water Demand Committee Meeting August
21, 2003 4:00 PM
·
Supplemental Board Meeting August
28, 2003 7:00 PM
Respectfully
Submitted,
Fran
Farina
Acting
General Manager
Attachments: July 31, 2003 Letter to Robert
Greenwood, Carmel Valley Association
July 31, 2003
Letter to Miles M. Croom, NOAA Fisheries
July 31, 2003
Letter to Robert Zampatti, Carmel River Steelhead Association
July 31, 2003
Letter to Kevan Urquhart, California Department of Fish & Game
July 31, 2003
Letter to David Dilworth, Helping Our Peninsula’s Environment
July 30, 2003
Letter to Scott Hennessy, Monterey County Planning and Building Inspection
Department
July 30, 2003
Letter to Lou Haddad
July 25, 2003
Letter to Carmel Development Company
July 24, 2003
Letter from Edward J. Keith
List of Projects
Subject to Ex Parte Communication Rules