Title
Adopt the Salinas River Lagoon and Sandbar Management Low Effect Habitat Conservation Plan (LEHCP) and associated Incidental Take Permit PER8656461; and authorize the General Manager to implement the LEHCP.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Monterey County Water Resources Agency Board of Supervisors:
Adopt the Salinas River Lagoon and Sandbar Management Low Effect Habitat Conservation Plan (LEHCP) and associated Incidental Take Permit PER8656461; and authorize the General Manager to implement the LEHCP.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
Like many central California coastal river systems, the Salinas River is not hydrologically connected to the Pacific Ocean for much of the year. A naturally occurring sandbar forms at the river mouth during periods of low streamflow, creating the Salinas River Lagoon (Lagoon). Over the course of the year the sandbar can build up to an elevation that is significantly higher than typical dry season Lagoon stage. When winter storms once again create natural streamflow in the Salinas River, stream discharge becomes trapped behind the sandbar in the Lagoon. Because of the height of the sandbar, the Lagoon has the potential to flood low lying farmland and homes before overtopping the sandbar and flowing to the ocean.
The Monterey County Water Resources Agency (Agency) performs sandbar management on an emergency basis to prevent flooding around the Lagoon. Sandbar management is required in most years, including the past winter of 2023-24. Sandbar management has the potential to result in the incidental take of federally listed endangered and threatened species in and around the Lagoon.
In 1997, the Agency developed the Salinas River Lagoon Management and Enhancement Plan which provided analysis and recommendations for Lagoon and sandbar management. In 2018, the Agency developed the Salinas River Lagoon Sandbar Management Plan Project Description (a project description for an updated sandbar management plan that has yet to b...
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