2008 Annual Monitoring Report (pdf 10.9MB) - Bolsa Chica ...

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Bolsa Chica Lowlands Restoration Monitoring 2008 Annual Report from July 1-16 and generally ranged between 5 and 20 NTU. Dissolved oxygen data at Station 1 were unacceptable, but deployment, mid-deployment, and retrieval readings taken with a separate instrument recorded DO levels ranging between 5.6 and 7.6 mg/L. Dissolved oxygen at Station 2 for the 30-day period ranged from 4.1 to 9.4 mg/L, with a mean of 7.2 mg/L. Additional spot water quality readings taken at the same stations during concurrent fisheries monitoring were presented in the fisheries monitoring section of this report. Discussion The water quality conditions observed in the FTB during the last three quarters of Year 2 monitoring show the tidal marine influence that exists in the basin, reflecting the daily and monthly tidal fluctuations seen in the open ocean. All parameters were well within acceptable ranges to support the developing fish, invertebrate, and vegetation communities, and are indicative of a well-flushed marine environment. On-going physical monitoring of the condition of the inlet and the flood shoal is important to ensure proper circulation of the basin and maintenance of good water quality. The lack of usable paired temperature data at both stations makes comparisons difficult, but reviewing the limited data available in conjunction with water quality measurements taken at the time of the fisheries monitoring allows for some assessment. In the April and July months, there was a south to north gradient of increasing water temperature. During warmer months the slow-circulating waters in at the northern end of the basin tended to have higher temperatures because of increased solar heating. The better circulated waters of the southern portion of the basin were more influenced by cooler oceanic water, maintaining lower temperatures during the warmer months. Very little difference in temperature was seen between the two stations during the January sampling. Monthly average sea surface temperature data were obtained from the Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP) (http://cdip.ucsd.edu/) for the closest station: 092 San Pedro (offshore of LA/LB Harbors, 10 kilometers south of Point Fermin). The mean monthly sea surface temperature in January 2008 was 13.7 °C, while it was an average of 13.4 °C at both Station 1 and 2 in the FTB. In April 2008 the sea surface was 14.3°C (compared to 16.1°C at Station 2). In July 2008 the sea surface was 20.2°C (compared to 24.0°C at Station 1 and 20.8°C at Station 2). The FTB appears to closely match the ocean temperature in the winter, with higher temperatures than the ocean in the summer months, a condition typically seen in other coastal embayments in the region. Dissolved oxygen levels measured at Bolsa Chica were within the expected range and reflected the strong influence of diurnal tidal flow, with DO levels rising and falling with tides as water masses with differing physical and biotic conditions were exchanged. Dissolved oxygen concentrations in water are determined by a number of factors including: production through photosynthesis, atmospheric gas exchange, oxygen consumption through biochemical oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand, and saturation capacity as dictated by temperature, salinity, and barometric pressure. The condition of the FTB inlet remained suitable to provide enough tidal circulation throughout the basin to maintain DO levels generally well above 5.5 mg/L, with daily tidal peaks in the 7.5 to 8.5 mg/L range, even during the warm July month when unhealthy drops in DO can be observed in poorly circulated systems. The salinity data available reflected the absence of significant freshwater input into the FTB, with salinities similar to typical oceanic salinities. Merkel & Associates, Inc. 71
Bolsa Chica Lowlands Restoration Monitoring 2008 Annual Report Recommendations No changes to the water quality monitoring program are recommended at this time. The Monitoring Plan calls for water quality monitoring to occur again in Year 5. 1.6. AVIAN MONITORING General Avian Monitoring Introduction The general avian monitoring program for the Bolsa Chica Lowlands Restoration Project was designed to employ similar methodologies and survey units as those used in pre-restoration biological survey work. The Monitoring Plan calls for avian monitoring to be conducted once per month in monitoring Year 2, with no monitoring in Years 1 and 3. Review of other long-term avian monitoring program data, such as the Batiquitos Lagoon Restoration Long-Term Monitoring Program and the Port of Los Angeles/Port of Long Beach Biological Baseline Study, suggested that such closely spaced monitoring events may not provide significantly more useful information on avian site-usage than quarterly or bimonthly surveys. With review and concurrence by the Bolsa Chica Steering Committee and the California Coastal Commission, a revised monitoring schedule was adopted to conduct the surveys every other month, over a period of two years (monitoring Years 2 and 3), for the same total of 12 surveys. This approach is more likely to detect annual anomalies, capture natural inter-annual variations in avian usage, and better document changes in distribution and site use patterns as the restored site matures. Merkel & Associates biologists conducted the avian surveys with assistance from a team of birders from Chambers Group, Inc. Methodology Study Area The study site at Bolsa Chica was divided into "zones" (differing from "stations" for the fish and benthic studies) for the general avian surveys (Figure 1-16). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provided the initial zone boundaries and numbering. The term zone is interchangeable with the term cell, often used at Bolsa Chica when numbering the marsh units bounded by service roads throughout the site. The created Full Tidal Basin (FTB) was divided up into new zones as described below. The Seasonal Ponds at the southeastern side of Bolsa Chica are divided into Zones 2 through 13. These zones consist mainly of salt panne with small to extensive expanses of pickleweed, primarily along the slightly elevated zone boundaries. Portions are seasonally inundated with fresh to brackish water that becomes highly saline later as evaporation concentrates the remaining water over the salt panne. Zones 14 through 40 and Zone 63 (Future Full Tidal Basin) occur between the Seasonal Ponds and the Muted Tidal Basin (MTB) and include Freeman Creek. These zones are very similar to the Seasonal Ponds and consist mainly of salt panne and pickleweed, although there are some areas that retain water year-round. Zone 36 is primarily a freshwater marsh. Merkel & Associates, Inc. 72
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2008 Annual Monitoring Report (pdf 10.9MB) - Bolsa Chica ...

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