Title
Consider receiving an update on Salinas River Lagoon Sandbar Management and the Low-Effect Habitat Conservation Plan.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Monterey County Water Resources Agency Board of Directors:
Receive an update on Salinas River Lagoon Sandbar Management and the Low-Effect Habitat Conservation Plan.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
Like many central California coastal river systems, the Salinas River is not hydrologically connected to the 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 be significantly higher than typical dry season Lagoon stage. When winter storms once again create natural streamflow in the Salinas River, flow is 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 Agency performs sandbar management on an emergency basis to prevent flooding. Sandbar management is required in most years including 7 of the past 10. Sandbar management has the potential to result in take of federally listed species in and around the lagoon and the Agency does not have a permit to cover incidental take of any listed species.
In 1997 the Agency developed the Salinas River Lagoon Management and Enhancement Plan followed by the 2018 Salinas River Lagoon Sandbar Management Plan Project Description (a project description for an updated sandbar management plan that has yet to be developed) and the Salinas River Sandbar Management Monitoring and Reporting Plan to address concerns related to sandbar management activities related to flood prevention. The plans define criteria for managing the sandbar elevation for flood prevention and define actions to minimize the impact to sensitive species in and around the Lagoon. The exist...
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