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Coastal watershed and estuary restoration in the Monterey Bay area

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By Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center May 9, 2022

Objectives: Support further work by the USGS and collaborating federal, state, and local agencies and academic partners in analyzing the effectiveness of restoration work in coastal watersheds and estuaries in the Monterey Bay area. The USGS will play a supporting role in field efforts led by NOAA and California State University - Monterey Bay to measure physical and ecological changes in the Carmel River watershed resulting from the largest dam removal in California.

This research is part of the project, “Sediment Transport in Coastal Environments.”

Media
Newly graded former lakebed in background with the river running along at the foot of the slope.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
San Clemente Dam was a 106-foot-high concrete arch dam that was located approximately 18.5 miles from the Pacific Ocean on the Carmel River. It was built in 1921 to create a reservoir to support the growing residential, agricultural, and tourism-related development. Since the 1960s the reservoir had become increasingly sedimented, with over 90 percent of the reservoir filled. As a result, the dam no longer served a role in storing and supplying water. The California Department of Water Resources (CDWR) Division of the Safety of Dams issued a safety order for the dam structure in the early 1990s, and determined that the structure could potentially fail in the event of a large earthquake or flood. The State Coastal Conservancy, National Marine Fisheries Services, and California American Water determined that the best approach for safety and environmental health and restoration was to reroute the Carmel River and remove San Clemente Dam. The project was completed in 2015. Shown here is a view of the redistributed sediment from within the reservoir and from the rerouting of the river. For more information, see the San Clemente Dam Removal & Carmel River Reroute Project Website.

This study is part of the Sediment Transport in Coastal Environments research project.

View from the sky looking at mouth of river with lots of sediment deposited at a beach.

Sediment Transport in Coastal Environments

Our research goals are to provide the scientific information, knowledge, and tools required to ensure that decisions about land and resource use, management practices, and future development in the coastal zone and adjacent watersheds can be evaluated with a complete understanding of the probable effects on coastal ecosystems and communities, and a full assessment of their vulnerability to natural...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Sediment Lab Suite and Carbon Analysis Laboratory, San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary
Sediment Transport in Coastal Environments

Sediment Transport in Coastal Environments

Our research goals are to provide the scientific information, knowledge, and tools required to ensure that decisions about land and resource use, management practices, and future development in the coastal zone and adjacent watersheds can be evaluated with a complete understanding of the probable effects on coastal ecosystems and communities, and a full assessment of their vulnerability to natural...
Learn More

Below are data releases associated with this project.

No Result Found

Below are publications associated with this project.

Dam removal: Listening in Dam removal: Listening in

Dam removal is widely used as an approach for river restoration in the United States. The increase in dam removals—particularly large dams—and associated dam-removal studies over the last few decades motivated a working group at the USGS John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis to review and synthesize available studies of dam removals and their findings. Based on dam...
Authors
Melissa M. Foley, James Bellmore, James E. O'Connor, Jeffrey J. Duda, Amy E. East, Gordon G. Grant, Chauncey W. Anderson, Jennifer A. Bountry, Mathias J. Collins, Patrick J. Connolly, Laura S. Craig, James E. Evans, Samantha Greene, Francis J. Magilligan, Christopher S. Magirl, Jon J. Major, George R. Pess, Timothy J. Randle, Patrick B. Shafroth, Christian E. Torgersen, Desiree D. Tullos, Andrew C. Wilcox
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Natural Hazards Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Volcano Hazards Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis, Oregon Water Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Volcano Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL)

Short-term variability of 7Be atmospheric deposition and watershed response in a Pacific coastal stream, Monterey Bay, California, USA Short-term variability of 7Be atmospheric deposition and watershed response in a Pacific coastal stream, Monterey Bay, California, USA

Beryllium-7 is a powerful and commonly used tracer for environmental processes such as watershed sediment provenance, soil erosion, fluvial and nearshore sediment cycling, and atmospheric fallout. However, few studies have quantified temporal or spatial variability of 7Be accumulation from atmospheric fallout, and parameters that would better define the uses and limitations of this...
Authors
Christopher H. Conaway, Curt D. Storlazzi, Amy E. Draut, Peter W. Swarzenski
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Suspended sediment and organic contaminants in the San Lorenzo River, California, water years 2009-2010 Suspended sediment and organic contaminants in the San Lorenzo River, California, water years 2009-2010

This report presents analyses of suspended sediment and organic contaminants measured during a two-year study of the San Lorenzo River, central California, which discharges into the Pacific Ocean within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Most suspended-sediment transport occurred during flooding caused by winter storms; 55 percent of the sediment load was transported by the...
Authors
Amy E. Draut, Christopher H. Conaway, Kathy R. Echols, Curt D. Storlazzi, Andrew Ritchie
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

The role of effective discharge in the ocean delivery of particulate organic carbon by small, mountainous river systems The role of effective discharge in the ocean delivery of particulate organic carbon by small, mountainous river systems

Recent research has shown that small, mountainous river systems (SMRS) account for a significant fraction of the global flux of sediment and particulate organic carbon (POC) to the ocean. The enormous number of SMRS precludes intensive studies of the sort conducted on large systems, necessitating development of a conceptual framework that permits cross‐system comparison and scaling up...
Authors
R. A. Wheatcroft, M.A. Goni, J.A. Hatten, G.B. Pasternack, J.A. Warrick

Below are news stories associated with this project.

Objectives: Support further work by the USGS and collaborating federal, state, and local agencies and academic partners in analyzing the effectiveness of restoration work in coastal watersheds and estuaries in the Monterey Bay area. The USGS will play a supporting role in field efforts led by NOAA and California State University - Monterey Bay to measure physical and ecological changes in the Carmel River watershed resulting from the largest dam removal in California.

This research is part of the project, “Sediment Transport in Coastal Environments.”

Media
Newly graded former lakebed in background with the river running along at the foot of the slope.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
San Clemente Dam was a 106-foot-high concrete arch dam that was located approximately 18.5 miles from the Pacific Ocean on the Carmel River. It was built in 1921 to create a reservoir to support the growing residential, agricultural, and tourism-related development. Since the 1960s the reservoir had become increasingly sedimented, with over 90 percent of the reservoir filled. As a result, the dam no longer served a role in storing and supplying water. The California Department of Water Resources (CDWR) Division of the Safety of Dams issued a safety order for the dam structure in the early 1990s, and determined that the structure could potentially fail in the event of a large earthquake or flood. The State Coastal Conservancy, National Marine Fisheries Services, and California American Water determined that the best approach for safety and environmental health and restoration was to reroute the Carmel River and remove San Clemente Dam. The project was completed in 2015. Shown here is a view of the redistributed sediment from within the reservoir and from the rerouting of the river. For more information, see the San Clemente Dam Removal & Carmel River Reroute Project Website.

This study is part of the Sediment Transport in Coastal Environments research project.

View from the sky looking at mouth of river with lots of sediment deposited at a beach.

Sediment Transport in Coastal Environments

Our research goals are to provide the scientific information, knowledge, and tools required to ensure that decisions about land and resource use, management practices, and future development in the coastal zone and adjacent watersheds can be evaluated with a complete understanding of the probable effects on coastal ecosystems and communities, and a full assessment of their vulnerability to natural...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Sediment Lab Suite and Carbon Analysis Laboratory, San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary
Sediment Transport in Coastal Environments

Sediment Transport in Coastal Environments

Our research goals are to provide the scientific information, knowledge, and tools required to ensure that decisions about land and resource use, management practices, and future development in the coastal zone and adjacent watersheds can be evaluated with a complete understanding of the probable effects on coastal ecosystems and communities, and a full assessment of their vulnerability to natural...
Learn More

Below are data releases associated with this project.

No Result Found

Below are publications associated with this project.

Dam removal: Listening in Dam removal: Listening in

Dam removal is widely used as an approach for river restoration in the United States. The increase in dam removals—particularly large dams—and associated dam-removal studies over the last few decades motivated a working group at the USGS John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis to review and synthesize available studies of dam removals and their findings. Based on dam...
Authors
Melissa M. Foley, James Bellmore, James E. O'Connor, Jeffrey J. Duda, Amy E. East, Gordon G. Grant, Chauncey W. Anderson, Jennifer A. Bountry, Mathias J. Collins, Patrick J. Connolly, Laura S. Craig, James E. Evans, Samantha Greene, Francis J. Magilligan, Christopher S. Magirl, Jon J. Major, George R. Pess, Timothy J. Randle, Patrick B. Shafroth, Christian E. Torgersen, Desiree D. Tullos, Andrew C. Wilcox
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Natural Hazards Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Volcano Hazards Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis, Oregon Water Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Volcano Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL)

Short-term variability of 7Be atmospheric deposition and watershed response in a Pacific coastal stream, Monterey Bay, California, USA Short-term variability of 7Be atmospheric deposition and watershed response in a Pacific coastal stream, Monterey Bay, California, USA

Beryllium-7 is a powerful and commonly used tracer for environmental processes such as watershed sediment provenance, soil erosion, fluvial and nearshore sediment cycling, and atmospheric fallout. However, few studies have quantified temporal or spatial variability of 7Be accumulation from atmospheric fallout, and parameters that would better define the uses and limitations of this...
Authors
Christopher H. Conaway, Curt D. Storlazzi, Amy E. Draut, Peter W. Swarzenski
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Suspended sediment and organic contaminants in the San Lorenzo River, California, water years 2009-2010 Suspended sediment and organic contaminants in the San Lorenzo River, California, water years 2009-2010

This report presents analyses of suspended sediment and organic contaminants measured during a two-year study of the San Lorenzo River, central California, which discharges into the Pacific Ocean within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Most suspended-sediment transport occurred during flooding caused by winter storms; 55 percent of the sediment load was transported by the...
Authors
Amy E. Draut, Christopher H. Conaway, Kathy R. Echols, Curt D. Storlazzi, Andrew Ritchie
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

The role of effective discharge in the ocean delivery of particulate organic carbon by small, mountainous river systems The role of effective discharge in the ocean delivery of particulate organic carbon by small, mountainous river systems

Recent research has shown that small, mountainous river systems (SMRS) account for a significant fraction of the global flux of sediment and particulate organic carbon (POC) to the ocean. The enormous number of SMRS precludes intensive studies of the sort conducted on large systems, necessitating development of a conceptual framework that permits cross‐system comparison and scaling up...
Authors
R. A. Wheatcroft, M.A. Goni, J.A. Hatten, G.B. Pasternack, J.A. Warrick

Below are news stories associated with this project.

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