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| − | 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.
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| − | == Location, Size and Climate ==
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| − | 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''').
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| − | The area has a Mediterranean climate <ref name = "Holloway">Holloway R. 2010. Annual Sediment Retention and Hydraulic Residence Time
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| − | Variability in a Riverine Wetland Receiving Unregulated
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| − | Inflow from Agricultural Runoff http:://http://sep.csumb.edu/cwsp/theses/Holloway_Thesis_101217.pdf </ref>, with mild summers with temperatures in the 60's, and cool, mild, winters with temperatures in the 50's <ref name = "AromasW">Aromas http://www.idcide.com/weather/ca/aromas.htm </ref> . The warmest month of the year is September, and the coldest is December, with average maximum and minimum temperatures of 73.7°F and 38.1°F respectively. The winter months are wetter than the summer months, and the wettest month is January; the annual average precipitation is 23.25 Inches <ref name = "AromasW" />.
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| − | The name Carneros Creek, although commonly used in the area, does not always appear in the maps and literature, and Carneros is sometimes referred to as part of the Elkhorn Slough. 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.
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| − | == Land Cover and Land Use ==
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| − | The area of the Carneros Watershed exhibits mixed land use, including rural residential, grazed grasslands, cultivated areas, and undeveloped areas. Agricultural land use occupies approximately 10% of the watershed of which strawberries are the dominant crop. Other corps include, raspberries, flowers and vegetables <ref name = "Largay"> Largay et al. 2007. ALBA Triple M Ranch Wetlands Restoration Project http://hydro.csumb.edu/ALBA_CSUMB/ALBA_Triple_M_Conditions_Concepts.pdf</ref>. Agro-industrial activities in the watershed include a mushroom growing operation and a chicken ranch <ref name = "Holloway" />.
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| − | Given the current native vegetation of the watershed, it appears that historically the land would have been dominated by native grasslands, oak woodlands, maritime chaparral, and riparian areas. According to Largay <ref name = "Largay" />, the Carneros Creek was then a steady moving stream that moved through numerous wetlands. Activities of settlement, including the reclamation efforts to drain the lower levels of the Carneros Creek, resulted in the loss of these wetlands.
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| − | == Surface Water and Groundwater Hydrology ==
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| − | The Carneros Creek Watershed has one main creek known as Carneros Creek. The USGS does not list any tributaries to Carneros Creek.
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| − | Carneros is not a perennial creek; its flow varies according to seasonal rainfall. Carneros Creek usually runs dry in the summer months and occasionally runs dry in the winter. During the summer months, the flow in Carneros Creek can drop to zero, causing seawater from the Elkhorn Slough flow into the creek during high tides <ref>Pajaro Valley Water Managment Agency http://www.pvwma.dst.ca.us/hydrology/sw_monitoring.shtml#carneros_creek </ref>.
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| − | According to the Department of Water Resources, there are at least two groundwater basins within the Carneros Watershed <ref name = "CDWR"> California Department of Water Resources http://www.sierrafoothill.org/watershed/Appendices/Section%203/B%20-%20DWR%20Groundwater%20Basins%20Map.pdf</ref>, however, as sited in Ferriz <ref name = "Ferriz"> Ferriz H. 2001. Groundwater Resources in Northern California http://geology.csustan.edu/ferriz/Groundwater_Northern_CA.pdf</ref>, the Carneros watershed is occupied by the lower sub-basin of the Salinas Valley Watershed, while according to the Pajaro Valley Water Managment Agency <ref name = "PVMA">Pajaro Valley Water Managment Agency http://www.pvwma.dst.ca.us/basin_management_plan/bmp_documents.shtml</ref>, the lower reaches of the Carneros Watershed belong to the Pajaro Valley Groundwater Basin. More research needs to be done on this topic.
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| − | == Environmental Concerns ==
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| − | 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.
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| − | 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'').
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| − | Several organizations in the area such as [[Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association |ALBA]], the [[Elkhorn Slough Foundation]], [[Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (ESNERR)| ESNERR]], and [[Triple M Ranch]] provide support, offer educational opportunities, and conduct research in The Carneros Watershed.
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| − | == Available hydrological data ==
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| − | 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.
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| − | The California State University Monterey Bay has two flow [[California Central Coast Gage Locations| gages]] in the Carneros Creek, at the Sill Road Crossing, and at the Johnson Road Bridge.
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| − | == References ==
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| − | <references/>
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| − | == Links ==
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| − | * [[Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association]]
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| − | * [[Elkhorn Slough Foundation]]
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| − | * [[Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (ESNERR)]]
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| − | * [[Maps of the Carneros Watershed]]
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| − | * [[Pajaro Valley Groundwater Overdraft Concerns]]
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| − | * [[Potential watershed impacts on Elkhorn Slough]]
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| − | * [[Triple M Ranch]]
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| − | * [[Conditional waiver of waste discharge requirements for irrigated lands]]
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