Difference between revisions of "The Carneros Watershed"

Revision as of 15:58, 5 February 2011

The Carneros Creek Watershed is located in Monterey County, on the central coast of California. The Carneros Watershed is contained within the Elkhorn Slough Watershed. Carneros Creek, not to be confused with Carneros Creek of Napa County, is the main freshwater tributary to the Elkhorn Slough.

Location, Size and Climate

Located within Monterey, California, the Carneros Creek Watershed drains an area of 71.6 km² from the towns of Aromas, Las Lomas, and Prunedale(link).

The area has a Mediterranean climate ^[1], characterized by hot dry summers and cold wet winters. Average annual precipitation for the area is 23.25 inches confirmed source, the majority of which falling during the winter months.

Land Use and Land Cover

Mixed land uses within the watershed include rural residential, livestock grazing, agriculture, and undeveloped/conservation areas. Agricultural operations utilize approximately 10% of the watershed primarily for growing strawberries. Other agricultural crops include, raspberries, flowers, vegetables and fungi. ^[2]

Before settlement, it is believed that the watershed supported native grasslands, oak woodlands, maritime chaparral, and riparian areas. According to Largay ^[2], Carneros Creek fed numerous wetlands which were lost after channel control measures were implemented by settlers.

Surface Water and Groundwater Hydrology

Sometimes considered part of the Elkhorn Slough, Carneros creek is the only stream located within the Carneros Watershed, without any tributaries listed by USGS. Carneros Creek (Waterbody ID # CAR3060001020090115165216)footnote does not always appear in the maps and literature. One possible reason for this discrepancy is the fact that during the summer months seawater from the Elkhorn Slough can flow into the creek during high tides. Carneros is a seasonal stream; its flow depending on seasonal precipitation, leaving the creek dry during most summer months and some winters. It is this seasonal drying which allows seawater to travel upstream from the Elkhorn Slough flow into the creek during high tides ^[3].

According to the Department of Water Resources, there are at least two groundwater basins within the Carneros Watershed ^[4], however, as sited in Ferriz ^[5], the Carneros watershed is occupied by the lower sub-basin of the Salinas Valley Watershed, while according to the Pajaro Valley Water Managment Agency ^[6], the lower reaches of the Carneros Watershed belong to the Pajaro Valley Groundwater Basin. More research needs to be done on this topic.

Environmental Concerns

As part of the Elkhorn Slough Watershed, the Carneros Creek Watershed is subject to the same potential watershed impacts on Elkhorn Slough. A Management Plan of the Carneros Creek Watershed was prepared by the Carneros Creek Association in 2000 to address areas of concern such as erosion control, sustainable flood management, improvements in water quality, restoration of riparian corridors, and water conservation. The Carneros Creek and its tributaries have not been listed as impaired under the 303-d section of the Clean Water Act.

The Carneros Creek Watershed provides habitat to some species listed as threatened or endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, such as the California Red-Legged Frog (Rana draytonii), California Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma californiense), and the Santa Cruz Long-Toed Salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum).

Several organizations in the area such as ALBA, the Elkhorn Slough Foundation, ESNERR, and Triple M Ranch provide support, offer educational opportunities, and conduct research in The Carneros Watershed.

Available hydrological data

Largay (2007)established rain gages throughout the Carneros creek in order to characterize flows of surface water. Gages are located at Carneros Creek at the Railcar Bridge, at the Sill Road Crossing, at the Johnson Road Bridge, and in the Oxbow Pond. All gages are equipped with temperature recorders, Solinist Leveloggers, and a stilling well. To compensate for barometric changes, Solanist barologgers were installed at all sites. The California State University Monterey Bay has two flow gages in the Carneros Creek, at the Sill Road Crossing, and at the Johnson Road Bridge.

References

1. ↑ Holloway R. 2010. Annual Sediment Retention and Hydraulic Residence Time Variability in a Riverine Wetland Receiving Unregulated Inflow from Agricultural Runoff http:://http://sep.csumb.edu/cwsp/theses/Holloway_Thesis_101217.pdf
2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Largay
3. ↑ Pajaro Valley Water Managment Agency http://www.pvwma.dst.ca.us/hydrology/sw_monitoring.shtml#carneros_creek
4. ↑ California Department of Water Resources http://www.sierrafoothill.org/watershed/Appendices/Section%203/B%20-%20DWR%20Groundwater%20Basins%20Map.pdf
5. ↑ Ferriz H. 2001. Groundwater Resources in Northern California http://geology.csustan.edu/ferriz/Groundwater_Northern_CA.pdf
6. ↑ Pajaro Valley Water Managment Agency http://www.pvwma.dst.ca.us/basin_management_plan/bmp_documents.shtml

Links

• Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association
• Elkhorn Slough Foundation
• Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (ESNERR)
• Maps of the Carneros Watershed
• Pajaro Valley Groundwater Overdraft Concerns
• Potential watershed impacts on Elkhorn Slough
• Triple M Ranch
• Conditional waiver of waste discharge requirements for irrigated lands