Summary: Thursday, April 10, 2014 The Carmel River is a major source of water for the Monterey Peninsula. It is a source of water for fish, too, including endangered steelhead trout. In fact, the California American Water Company has been taking more water out of the river than they are legally allowed to remove, and they have been doing that for years. These excessive water diversions have degraded the river’s ability to support steelhead, and Cal-Am is under an order to cut back. A big motivation for the proposed desalination plant is the fact that diversions of water from the Carmel River have to be reduced. There is a nonprofit organization that focuses specifically on the Carmel River, and perhaps even more importantly, on the Carmel River watershed. That organization is the Carmel River Watershed Conservancy, and I’d like to make sure that listeners who care about the Carmel River know about its work. I have put a link to the Conservancy’s website in the transcript of today’s Land Use Report, and I encourage you to visit the website, look around, and then to subscribe to the email alerts that the Conservancy will provide, from time to time. They’re free! Most recently, the Carmel Valley Association has alerted its supporters that the Conservancy will be doing an update to the 2005 Watershed Assessment and the 2007 Action Plan. You might want to get informed about some exciting projects in process and on the way! More Information: Land Use Links Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog Carmel River Watershed Conservancy Website Carmel River Watershed Conservancy Facebook Page
