The Carneros Watershed
The Carneros Creek Watershed is located in the Central Coast of California, in Monterey County. The Carneros Watershed is part of the larger Elkhorn Slough Watershed, and Carneros Creek (not to be confused with the Carneros Creek in Napa, California) is the main fresh water tributary to Elkhorn Slough.
Location, Size and Climate
The Carneros Creek Watershed is located within the limits of Monterey County in the California central coast. It comprises the towns of Aromas, Las Lomas, and parts of Prunedale, and it covers approximately 70 km². The area has a Mediterranean climate [2], with mild summers with temperatures in the 60's, and cool, mild, winters with temperatures in the 50's [3] . 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 [3].
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 [4]. Because of this back flow from the slough into Carneros creek, some sources still consider Carneros Creek as part of Elkhorn Slough. The name Carneros Creek, although commonly used in the area, does not always appear in the maps and literature.
Land Cover and Land Use
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 [5]. Agro-industrial activities in the watershed include a mushroom growing operation and a chicken ranch [2].
The watershed drains nearly 18,000 acres of steep slopes and flood planes. Carneros soils combined with little development result in almost complete infiltration of water. Run off is caused by bare ground and impermeable surfaces. Agricultural plastics, mulch, and hoop houses accounts for most all impermeable surfaces [5].
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 [5], 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.
Surface Water and Groundwater Hydrology
There is one main creek that flows through the Carneros Watershed called Carneros Creek. The Carneros Creek is not a perennial creek. According to recent field observations the flow of the Carneros varies according to rainfall and frequently drys during the summer and sometimes during the winter.
According to the Department of Water Resources, there are at least two groundwater basins within the Carneros Watershed potentially three [6]
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