Difference between revisions of "Los Padres Reservoir Capacity Issues"

From CCoWS Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
(Summary)
Line 1: Line 1:
 
== Summary ==
 
== Summary ==
 +
 +
The Los Padres dam was built in 1949 as an alternate water storage facility in response to sediment accumulation in the downstream San Clemente Dam (built in 1921). Water stored in the Los Padres reservoir is released to the Carmel Valley Aquifer where it is pumped out by California- American water co. and is used by nearly all of the Monterey Peninsula. By 1999, the Los Padres dam had lost half of its capacity to heavy sediment accumulation. 
 +
 +
The 2008 Basin Complex fires burned 20% of the Carmel river watershed. Burned areas leave behind loose unstable soils which erode quickly given precipitation. This may exacerbate erosion rates and lead to increased sediment accumulation in the Los Padres Reservoir.
 +
 +
The Los Padres reservoir serves as the primary source of water storage for the Monterey Peninsula so any big increase in sediment accumulation may be detrimental.
  
 
== Location ==
 
== Location ==

Revision as of 01:50, 27 January 2009

Summary

The Los Padres dam was built in 1949 as an alternate water storage facility in response to sediment accumulation in the downstream San Clemente Dam (built in 1921). Water stored in the Los Padres reservoir is released to the Carmel Valley Aquifer where it is pumped out by California- American water co. and is used by nearly all of the Monterey Peninsula. By 1999, the Los Padres dam had lost half of its capacity to heavy sediment accumulation.

The 2008 Basin Complex fires burned 20% of the Carmel river watershed. Burned areas leave behind loose unstable soils which erode quickly given precipitation. This may exacerbate erosion rates and lead to increased sediment accumulation in the Los Padres Reservoir.

The Los Padres reservoir serves as the primary source of water storage for the Monterey Peninsula so any big increase in sediment accumulation may be detrimental.

Location

...Name the smallest watershed (or other applicable region) within which the issue occurs...

Resource/s at stake

...What environmental resource/s are at stake?...

Stakeholders

...Who are the stakeholders in the watershed? e.g. agencies, non-profits, associations...

Laws, policies, & regulations

...What laws, policies, and/or regulations are involved?...

Systems

... What elements of the biophysical system are/were involved?...

Science

...What scientific studies are or would be relevant / already completed?...

Tools

...What analytical (e.g. modeling) tools were or could be used?...

Future research

...What knowledge gaps remain?...

...Suggest a CWSP MS thesis topic that could contribute to the issue...

...Suggest a topic for a hypothetical study that had unlimited resources...

References

...Proust, M. 1901. Poetica nausea. J. Nauseum. pp 1-9999.

Disclaimer

This page may contain student work completed as part of assigned coursework. It may not be accurate. It does not necessary reflect the opinion or policy of CSUMB, its staff, or students.