Carpinteria Salt Marsh

GENERAL

Source

Site Carpinteria Salt Marsh

Map Carpinteria, USGS 7.5' quadrangle

Location The salt marsh is located about 12 miles east of the City of Santa Barbara and immediately to the west of the City of Carpinteria. The marsh is on the ocean side of the Pacific Coast Highway.

Contacts UC Natural Reserve System - UC Santa Barbara (UCSB-UCNRS): 805-893-2506

City of Carpinteria: 805-684-5405

Land Trust for Santa Barbara County: 805-963-6503

Approximate Wetland Habitat Acreage 230
1

Approximate Historic Acreage Greater than 500 acres
1

Ownership Owner Acres Source

UC Natural Reserve System 120 1

City of Carpinteria 10.5 1

Land Trust for Santa Barbara Co. 35 1

Santa Barbara Flood Control and Water Conservation District 1 1

Southern Pacific Railroad Unspecified 1

Private 65 3

LAND USE

Source

Land Use Designation The County of Santa Barbara and the City of Carpinteria's Coastal Land Use Plans designate the area as an 'Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area'.
2

Onsite Use Educational, research, and public interpretative programs are carried out under the auspices of the UC Natural Reserve System. Additionally, the marsh contains several flood control channels and access roads.
1, 2, 3

Historic Use Native American peoples began occupying the site approximately 7300 years ago. Agriculture began intruding into the wetlands in the 1880's and urban development in the early 1900's.
1

Adjacent Use The urbanized areas of Santa Barbara County and the City of Carpinteria are to the north and east of the marsh. A band of residential development along the beach separates the marsh from the ocean. Greenhouse agricultural operations and orchards are to the northwest.
1

Adjacent Historic Use Initial habitation of the Carpinteria Valley probably occurred about 9000 years ago. Agriculture in the valley around the marsh was begun by the Spanish in the late 1700's. Extensive draining of the marsh for the expansion of agriculture commenced in the 1880's and the construction of year round beach cottages began in 1910.
1

HYDROLOGY

Source

Tidal Influence The marsh is typically tidally influenced, but a barrier bar forms some years at the ocean inlet. The bar is then mechanically breached to maintain year round tidal flushing. Tidal amplitude within the marsh is distorted, with low tides being higher than those predicted for the ocean and the total tidal range and tidal prism reduced due to a cobble sill in the inlet. Both Santa Monica and Franklin Creeks are tidally influenced through the marsh to the Pacific Coast Highway.
4, 14

Watershed Area 6,600 acres
2

Tributaries and Flow Tributary Flow Source

Santa Monica Creek In 1996 the calculated peak flow from a 100 year storm was 3400 cfs. The creek has a limited natural year round flow which is supplemented by urban and agricultural run-off. There are sediment basins in the creek upstream of the marsh and in the marsh. 5

Franklin Creek In 1996 the calculated peak flow for a 100 year storm is 3500 cfs; daily average flow was 980 cfs and flow in the drier months is primarily dependent on urban and agricultural run-off. A sediment basin is maintained where the creek enters the marsh. 5

Dams Not specified

Other Sources Agricultural and urban run-off enter the marsh in the northwestern corner.
2

WATER QUALITY

Source

General The 303(d) List identifies the marsh's water as being impaired from pesticides, siltation, nutrients, and urban run-off. The RWQCB lists the Beneficial Uses of the water at the marsh as; rec1, rec2, wild, warm, migr, spwn, biol, rare, est and comm.
11, 12

Dissolved Oxygen (DO) 1996 - spring and summer sampling data reported a high of 10.18 ppm (temp. 26 C) and a low of 2.15 ppm (temp. 15.9 C) for surface water; for the bottom a high of 8.93 ppm (temp. 46.4 C) and a low of 2.17 ppm (temp. 20 C) was reporting during the sampling period. Time of day for sampling was not specified. DO levels during the fall and winter were reported as adequate to support the fish using the marsh
10

Water Salinity 1996 - quarterly sampling identified that salinity varied considerably during winter storm events. Surface water salinity ranged from a low of 8 ppt during the winter to a high of 36.5 in the spring; bottom water salinity ranged from a low of 0.5 in the fall to a high of 38 ppt in the summer. Overall salinity averaged approximately that of the ocean, 33-34 ppt.
10

Sedimentation Sediment yield from the watershed for a 2 year flood and 100 year flood are estimated at 4.5 and 36 acre-feet, respectively.
5

SOIL

Source

Soil Soils in the estuary have developed over alluvial fans, floodplains and tidal flats, and are described as poorly drained. Soils include Camarillo fine sandy loam, Camarillo variant, fine sandy loam and Aquents.
4

Habitat Acres Vegetation

Open water 16 1985 - algae Ac 8 Plants 2

Intertidal flats 17 1985 - monospecific stands of pickleweed Ac 8 Plants 2

Salt marsh 133 1985 - dominated by pickleweed, saltgrass, alkali heath, with fleshy jaumea, marsh rosemary, and salt marsh bird's beak+. Ac 8 Plants 2

Salt flat 6 1985 - predominantly unvegetated; alkali heath and pickleweed present. Ac 8 Plants 2

Brackish water marsh 2 1985 - dominated by cattails, bulrush, and celery plant. Ac 8 Plants 2

Uplands 56 Berms, levees, roadways and dredged spoils. 8

ANIMAL USE

Source

Birds 1996 report - A total of 139 species were identified, of which 93 were water associated including 12 species of special status and the nesting Belding's Savannah sparrow#. Surveys are from multiple years beginning in 1966; dates and frequency of surveys were not specified.
1

Fish 1996 - Collections were made at 11 stations - time, date and methods of sampling were not specified. 37 species of fish were listed, primarily from the channels within the marsh of Santa Monica and Franklin Creeks. Common species included topsmelt, arrow goby, killifish, long-jawed mudsucker, and staghorn Sculpin. Silver perch, California halibut, and starry flounder were identified in the marsh only during high tide.
1, 4, 15

Benthic Invertebrates 1996 - 134 species, primarily from areas closest to the ocean inlet to the marsh. Invertebrates were dominated by polychaete worms, mollusks (1997 - California horn snail, olive ear snail, jackknife clam, little-neck clam, and bent nose), and arthropods (1997 - striped shore crab and yellow shore crab).
1, 13

Insect 1996 - mosquitos, shore flies and the water boatman were the most abundant species.
1

Other Wildlife 1988 - diversity and abundance of mammals is described as low; only 3 species of rodents were identified. Date and methods of trapping were not specified. 1997 - the red fox and raccoon were identified as the principal predatory mammals.
6, 3, 13

Special Status Species 1996 - Birds: American bittern, western snowy plover, white-tailed kite, peregrine falcon, long-billed curlew, osprey, Belding's Savannah sparrow#, California brown pelican, light-footed clapper rail, double-crested cormorant, California gull, elegant tern, and the least tern. Plants: salt marsh bird's beak.
1

OUTLOOK

Source

Enhancement Status A plan, developed by the Flood Control District, for flood control and wetland enhancement has been developed, but as of the spring of 1997 had not been fully implemented. The area of the marsh known as the 'Ash Avenue Wetland' has been consolidated under public ownership. Construction of the enhancement project for this area is to begin in the spring of 1997. The plan calls for reintroducing tidal action, removing fill materials, recontouring the site to create tidal channels, and removing non-native plants, and planting the disturbed areas with native plants. A management plan was proposed in 1996 which would place the entire wetland ecosystem under the management of the UC Natural Reserve. This plan is pending approval by both the public and private land owners.
8, 4

Watershed Management A watershed treatment program, known as the Carpinteria Valley Watershed Project, was mostly completed in 1983. The program was directed at controlling erosion in the watershed and deposition of sediment in the marsh, and increasing flood flows through the marsh.
4

Pressure Poor quality water and a high volume of sediment continue to enter the marsh from the watershed. Non-native predators continue to be a threat to nesting birds and other wildlife.
1

SOURCES

1 Ferren Jr., W.R., H.M. Page & P. Saley. 1996. Draft management plan for Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve a southern California estuary. Museum of Systematics and Ecology U.C. Santa Barbara, Environmental Report No. 5. ~172 pp., plus appendices. This proposed Management Plan was prepared to provide, under one management structure, for the protection, management, and use of Carpinteria Salt Marsh and its biological and physical resources, at an ecosystem level. A background and natural history of the marsh are contained in Part 1, which covers the history and purpose of the University of California Natural Reserve System, the environmental setting and the land use history of the wetland, and identifies responsible regulatory agencies. Part 2 of the document is the management plan which provides a description of the administrative, research, public service, and interagency programs associated with the reserve. The appendices include biotic inventories which were taken from previous surveys.

2 Ferren Jr., W. R. ed. 1985. Carpinteria Salt Marsh: environment, history and botanical resources of a southern California estuary. The Herbarium, UC Santa Barbara, Pub. No. 4. 300 pp. This publication contains a description of the physical environment and history of the marsh, a detailed investigation into the biological resources, and a review of opportunities and constraints for future protection of the marsh. The appendices contain a detailed classification of upland and wetland vegetation from original survey work, and an annotated and illustrated catalogue of the vascular plants.

3 MacDonald, K.B. for the State of California Department of Fish and Game. 1976. The natural resources of Carpinteria Marsh: their status and future. CDFG Coastal Wetland Series No. 13. 69 pp., plus appendices. The purposes of this report are: 1) to document the natural resources of the marsh, 2) outline the uses those resources receive, 3) enumerate the problems and conflicts of use that affect those resources, and 4) recommend measures that will protect and enhance the marsh and its resources. The report provides information, based on previously undertaken surveys, on the physical features, history, land ownership, land and water use, habitat types, flora and fauna, and also identifies problems and conflicts in the use of these resources. Appendices include lists from existing surveys of the flora, marine invertebrates, fish, birds and mammals found in the marsh.

4 United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Services. 1983. Carpinteria Valley watershed - El Estero improvement project (additional project information, August 1983). 75 pp. This document describes the work carried out at Carpinteria Marsh to complete the Carpinteria Valley Watershed project for flood control. Major features of this plan include dredging Franklin and Santa Monica Creeks within the marsh to increase capacity, constructing levees, and modifying the outlet jetty at the ocean. This document also provides a description of watershed work completed upstream of the marsh, and reviews the natural resources of the marsh including a brief summary of existing data on the flora and fauna.

5 Simons, Li and Associates, Inc. for the Santa Barbara County Flood Control & Water Conservation District. 1994. Sediment transport analysis Carpinteria Salt Marsh enhancement project. 11 pp., plus tables and figures, and appendix. This report summarizes the results of a sediment transport analysis of the Carpinteria Salt Marsh. The analysis evaluated the sediment yield potential of the contributing watershed, and the transport capacity of the channels that feed the Marsh, and predicted the average annual aggradation/degradation within the Marsh. Analysis of data collected from previous studies is used in the report to calculate potential sediment yield.

6 Rivertech Inc. & Spectra Information for the City of Carpinteria. 1990. Carpinteria Salt Marsh restoration plan: Phase 1 - Ash Avenue wetland area. 83 pp., plus appendices. This proposed restoration plan was designed to enhance, protect and restore the 14.88 acres of degraded and sensitive wetland habitat at the Ash Avenue Wetland. The plan contains a description of the historic development of the marsh, a review of existing conditions, and a presentation of the revegetation and monitoring plan. The revegetation plan includes a conceptual grading and planting plan, and a proposed species list. Original survey data on birds, marine invertebrates and vertebrates are contained in the appendices.

7 City of Carpinteria & Land Trust of Santa Barbara County. 1996. Carpinteria Salt Marsh enhancement project: Ash Avenue Wetland Area - implementation plan. ~58 pp., plus appendices. This implemention plan outlines the key enhancement elements, provides detailed grading and revegetation plans, and describes the specific monitoring plans for the Ash Avenue Wetlands. Included in the existing conditions section is a brief review of the flora and fauna. Detailed enhancement plans cover public access, interpretative sites as well as planting plans and species lists for the revegetation. The appendix contains summaries of both original and existing survey data.

8 Dames & Moore for the Santa Barbara County Flood Control & Water Conservation District, California Coastal Conservancy, and USDA Soil Conservation Service. 1988. Carpinteria Marsh enhancement project: project description and summary of issues. 21 pp., plus appendices. This report describes a combined flood control and wetland restoration project for the marsh. The project consists primarily of dredging the two creeks to improve their flow capacities, reduce sediment accumulation and increase the tidal prism in the estuary. Detailed plans for dredging and levee construction are contained in the appendix.

9 Planning Department City of Carpinteria. 1980. City of Carpinteria: Coastal Plan. 86 pp., plus appendices. This Local Coastal Program (LCP) consists of the City of Carpinteria's land use plans, zoning ordinances, zoning district maps, and implementing actions for compliance with the requirements of the Coastal Act. This LCP was certified by the Coastal Commission in 1980.

10 Brooks, A. J., Museum of Systematic and Ecology U.C. Santa Barbara. January 1997, personal communication - unpublished survey data of the salinity, temperature and dissolved oxygen at Carpinteria Marsh.

11 California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Region. 1994. Water quality control plan, Central Coast Region. 200 pp., plus appendices. The plan designates beneficial uses and associated water quality objectives for inland surface waters, enclosed bays and estuaries, and ground waters, for the Central Coast (Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz and portions of San Mateo, Kern and Ventura Counties). It includes a discussion of applicable policies and statutory requirements and identifies measures for achieving water quality objectives. It also describes ongoing monitoring and assessment programs. Appendices contain 35 documents, including the text of state and local policies relevant to implementation of the plan, descriptions of ground water basins and sub-areas, and analyses used to develop various discharge and disposal requirements.

12 Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. 1996. 303(d) list of impaired water bodies. 6 pp. A list of waterbodies in the Central Coast Region that do not or are not expected to attain water quality standards after application of required technology-based controls. The list includes the size of the water body, the sampled pollutants affecting designated beneficial uses, the source of the pollutant, and the water body's priority status with regard to developing Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). The TMDL is the total amount of a pollutant that can be discharged into a water body without compromising water quality standards. 303(d) lists are prepared as part of the Water Quality Assessment of the State's major waterbodies, and meet a requirement of section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act.

13 Lafferty, K. D.; Marine Science Institute, UC Santa Barbara. April 1997. Personal communication.

14 Hubbard, D. M. 1996. Tidal cycle distortion in Carpinteria Salt Marsh, California. Bull. So. Calif. Acad. Sci. 95(2). 88-98 pp.

15 Ambrose, R. F. (ed), J. A. Altsatt, K. D. Lafferty, & C. P. Sandoval. 1995. Coastal wetland resources of the Santa Barbara County mainland. Environmental Science and Engineering Program, UCLA. 89 pp. Report briefly describes the physical features and biological community at 10 wetland sites (Santa Maria River, San Antonio Creek, Santa Ynez River, Canada Honda Creek, Canada de Santa Anita, Canada de Alegria, Gaviota Creek, Devereux Slough, Goleta Slough, and Arroyo Burro) in Santa Barbara County to obtain baseline information on these resources. Plants, invertebrates, fishes and birds were surveyed at the 10 sites, and these original survey data are contained within the report. An additional 12 sites were surveyed for the presence of tidewater gobies.

Webmaster: wetlands@resources.ca.gov

GENERAL			Source
Site	Carpinteria Salt Marsh
Map	Carpinteria, USGS 7.5' quadrangle
Location	The salt marsh is located about 12 miles east of the City of Santa Barbara and immediately to the west of the City of Carpinteria. The marsh is on the ocean side of the Pacific Coast Highway.
Contacts	UC Natural Reserve System - UC Santa Barbara (UCSB-UCNRS): 805-893-2506
	City of Carpinteria: 805-684-5405
	Land Trust for Santa Barbara County: 805-963-6503
Approximate Wetland Habitat Acreage	230		1
Approximate Historic Acreage	Greater than 500 acres		1


Ownership	Owner	Acres	Source
	UC Natural Reserve System	120	1
	City of Carpinteria	10.5	1
	Land Trust for Santa Barbara Co.	35	1
	Santa Barbara Flood Control and Water Conservation District	1	1
	Southern Pacific Railroad	Unspecified	1
	Private	65	3


LAND USE			Source
Land Use Designation	The County of Santa Barbara and the City of Carpinteria's Coastal Land Use Plans designate the area as an 'Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area'.		2
Onsite Use	Educational, research, and public interpretative programs are carried out under the auspices of the UC Natural Reserve System. Additionally, the marsh contains several flood control channels and access roads.		1, 2, 3
Historic Use	Native American peoples began occupying the site approximately 7300 years ago. Agriculture began intruding into the wetlands in the 1880's and urban development in the early 1900's.		1
Adjacent Use	The urbanized areas of Santa Barbara County and the City of Carpinteria are to the north and east of the marsh. A band of residential development along the beach separates the marsh from the ocean. Greenhouse agricultural operations and orchards are to the northwest.		1
Adjacent Historic Use	Initial habitation of the Carpinteria Valley probably occurred about 9000 years ago. Agriculture in the valley around the marsh was begun by the Spanish in the late 1700's. Extensive draining of the marsh for the expansion of agriculture commenced in the 1880's and the construction of year round beach cottages began in 1910.		1


HYDROLOGY			Source
Tidal Influence	The marsh is typically tidally influenced, but a barrier bar forms some years at the ocean inlet. The bar is then mechanically breached to maintain year round tidal flushing. Tidal amplitude within the marsh is distorted, with low tides being higher than those predicted for the ocean and the total tidal range and tidal prism reduced due to a cobble sill in the inlet. Both Santa Monica and Franklin Creeks are tidally influenced through the marsh to the Pacific Coast Highway.		4, 14
Watershed Area	6,600 acres		2
Tributaries and Flow	Tributary	Flow	Source
	Santa Monica Creek	In 1996 the calculated peak flow from a 100 year storm was 3400 cfs. The creek has a limited natural year round flow which is supplemented by urban and agricultural run-off. There are sediment basins in the creek upstream of the marsh and in the marsh.	5
	Franklin Creek	In 1996 the calculated peak flow for a 100 year storm is 3500 cfs; daily average flow was 980 cfs and flow in the drier months is primarily dependent on urban and agricultural run-off. A sediment basin is maintained where the creek enters the marsh.	5
Dams	Not specified
Other Sources	Agricultural and urban run-off enter the marsh in the northwestern corner.		2


WATER QUALITY			Source
General	The 303(d) List identifies the marsh's water as being impaired from pesticides, siltation, nutrients, and urban run-off. The RWQCB lists the Beneficial Uses of the water at the marsh as; rec1, rec2, wild, warm, migr, spwn, biol, rare, est and comm.		11, 12
Dissolved Oxygen (DO)	1996 - spring and summer sampling data reported a high of 10.18 ppm (temp. 26 C) and a low of 2.15 ppm (temp. 15.9 C) for surface water; for the bottom a high of 8.93 ppm (temp. 46.4 C) and a low of 2.17 ppm (temp. 20 C) was reporting during the sampling period. Time of day for sampling was not specified. DO levels during the fall and winter were reported as adequate to support the fish using the marsh		10
Water Salinity	1996 - quarterly sampling identified that salinity varied considerably during winter storm events. Surface water salinity ranged from a low of 8 ppt during the winter to a high of 36.5 in the spring; bottom water salinity ranged from a low of 0.5 in the fall to a high of 38 ppt in the summer. Overall salinity averaged approximately that of the ocean, 33-34 ppt.		10
Sedimentation	Sediment yield from the watershed for a 2 year flood and 100 year flood are estimated at 4.5 and 36 acre-feet, respectively.		5


SOIL			Source
Soil	Soils in the estuary have developed over alluvial fans, floodplains and tidal flats, and are described as poorly drained. Soils include Camarillo fine sandy loam, Camarillo variant, fine sandy loam and Aquents.		4
Habitat	Acres	Vegetation
Open water	16	1985 - algae	Ac 8 Plants 2
Intertidal flats	17	1985 - monospecific stands of pickleweed	Ac 8 Plants 2
Salt marsh	133	1985 - dominated by pickleweed, saltgrass, alkali heath, with fleshy jaumea, marsh rosemary, and salt marsh bird's beak+.	Ac 8 Plants 2
Salt flat	6	1985 - predominantly unvegetated; alkali heath and pickleweed present.	Ac 8 Plants 2
Brackish water marsh	2	1985 - dominated by cattails, bulrush, and celery plant.	Ac 8 Plants 2
Uplands	56	Berms, levees, roadways and dredged spoils.	8


ANIMAL USE			Source
Birds	1996 report - A total of 139 species were identified, of which 93 were water associated including 12 species of special status and the nesting Belding's Savannah sparrow#. Surveys are from multiple years beginning in 1966; dates and frequency of surveys were not specified.		1
Fish	1996 - Collections were made at 11 stations - time, date and methods of sampling were not specified. 37 species of fish were listed, primarily from the channels within the marsh of Santa Monica and Franklin Creeks. Common species included topsmelt, arrow goby, killifish, long-jawed mudsucker, and staghorn Sculpin. Silver perch, California halibut, and starry flounder were identified in the marsh only during high tide.		1, 4, 15
Benthic Invertebrates	1996 - 134 species, primarily from areas closest to the ocean inlet to the marsh. Invertebrates were dominated by polychaete worms, mollusks (1997 - California horn snail, olive ear snail, jackknife clam, little-neck clam, and bent nose), and arthropods (1997 - striped shore crab and yellow shore crab).		1, 13
Insect	1996 - mosquitos, shore flies and the water boatman were the most abundant species.		1
Other Wildlife	1988 - diversity and abundance of mammals is described as low; only 3 species of rodents were identified. Date and methods of trapping were not specified. 1997 - the red fox and raccoon were identified as the principal predatory mammals.		6, 3, 13
Special Status Species	1996 - Birds: American bittern, western snowy plover, white-tailed kite, peregrine falcon, long-billed curlew, osprey, Belding's Savannah sparrow#, California brown pelican, light-footed clapper rail, double-crested cormorant, California gull, elegant tern, and the least tern. Plants: salt marsh bird's beak.		1


OUTLOOK			Source
Enhancement Status	A plan, developed by the Flood Control District, for flood control and wetland enhancement has been developed, but as of the spring of 1997 had not been fully implemented. The area of the marsh known as the 'Ash Avenue Wetland' has been consolidated under public ownership. Construction of the enhancement project for this area is to begin in the spring of 1997. The plan calls for reintroducing tidal action, removing fill materials, recontouring the site to create tidal channels, and removing non-native plants, and planting the disturbed areas with native plants. A management plan was proposed in 1996 which would place the entire wetland ecosystem under the management of the UC Natural Reserve. This plan is pending approval by both the public and private land owners.		8, 4
Watershed Management	A watershed treatment program, known as the Carpinteria Valley Watershed Project, was mostly completed in 1983. The program was directed at controlling erosion in the watershed and deposition of sediment in the marsh, and increasing flood flows through the marsh.		4
Pressure	Poor quality water and a high volume of sediment continue to enter the marsh from the watershed. Non-native predators continue to be a threat to nesting birds and other wildlife.		1


SOURCES
1	Ferren Jr., W.R., H.M. Page & P. Saley. 1996. Draft management plan for Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve a southern California estuary. Museum of Systematics and Ecology U.C. Santa Barbara, Environmental Report No. 5. ~172 pp., plus appendices. This proposed Management Plan was prepared to provide, under one management structure, for the protection, management, and use of Carpinteria Salt Marsh and its biological and physical resources, at an ecosystem level. A background and natural history of the marsh are contained in Part 1, which covers the history and purpose of the University of California Natural Reserve System, the environmental setting and the land use history of the wetland, and identifies responsible regulatory agencies. Part 2 of the document is the management plan which provides a description of the administrative, research, public service, and interagency programs associated with the reserve. The appendices include biotic inventories which were taken from previous surveys.
2	Ferren Jr., W. R. ed. 1985. Carpinteria Salt Marsh: environment, history and botanical resources of a southern California estuary. The Herbarium, UC Santa Barbara, Pub. No. 4. 300 pp. This publication contains a description of the physical environment and history of the marsh, a detailed investigation into the biological resources, and a review of opportunities and constraints for future protection of the marsh. The appendices contain a detailed classification of upland and wetland vegetation from original survey work, and an annotated and illustrated catalogue of the vascular plants.
3	MacDonald, K.B. for the State of California Department of Fish and Game. 1976. The natural resources of Carpinteria Marsh: their status and future. CDFG Coastal Wetland Series No. 13. 69 pp., plus appendices. The purposes of this report are: 1) to document the natural resources of the marsh, 2) outline the uses those resources receive, 3) enumerate the problems and conflicts of use that affect those resources, and 4) recommend measures that will protect and enhance the marsh and its resources. The report provides information, based on previously undertaken surveys, on the physical features, history, land ownership, land and water use, habitat types, flora and fauna, and also identifies problems and conflicts in the use of these resources. Appendices include lists from existing surveys of the flora, marine invertebrates, fish, birds and mammals found in the marsh.
4	United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Services. 1983. Carpinteria Valley watershed - El Estero improvement project (additional project information, August 1983). 75 pp. This document describes the work carried out at Carpinteria Marsh to complete the Carpinteria Valley Watershed project for flood control. Major features of this plan include dredging Franklin and Santa Monica Creeks within the marsh to increase capacity, constructing levees, and modifying the outlet jetty at the ocean. This document also provides a description of watershed work completed upstream of the marsh, and reviews the natural resources of the marsh including a brief summary of existing data on the flora and fauna.
5	Simons, Li and Associates, Inc. for the Santa Barbara County Flood Control & Water Conservation District. 1994. Sediment transport analysis Carpinteria Salt Marsh enhancement project. 11 pp., plus tables and figures, and appendix. This report summarizes the results of a sediment transport analysis of the Carpinteria Salt Marsh. The analysis evaluated the sediment yield potential of the contributing watershed, and the transport capacity of the channels that feed the Marsh, and predicted the average annual aggradation/degradation within the Marsh. Analysis of data collected from previous studies is used in the report to calculate potential sediment yield.
6	Rivertech Inc. & Spectra Information for the City of Carpinteria. 1990. Carpinteria Salt Marsh restoration plan: Phase 1 - Ash Avenue wetland area. 83 pp., plus appendices. This proposed restoration plan was designed to enhance, protect and restore the 14.88 acres of degraded and sensitive wetland habitat at the Ash Avenue Wetland. The plan contains a description of the historic development of the marsh, a review of existing conditions, and a presentation of the revegetation and monitoring plan. The revegetation plan includes a conceptual grading and planting plan, and a proposed species list. Original survey data on birds, marine invertebrates and vertebrates are contained in the appendices.
7	City of Carpinteria & Land Trust of Santa Barbara County. 1996. Carpinteria Salt Marsh enhancement project: Ash Avenue Wetland Area - implementation plan. ~58 pp., plus appendices. This implemention plan outlines the key enhancement elements, provides detailed grading and revegetation plans, and describes the specific monitoring plans for the Ash Avenue Wetlands. Included in the existing conditions section is a brief review of the flora and fauna. Detailed enhancement plans cover public access, interpretative sites as well as planting plans and species lists for the revegetation. The appendix contains summaries of both original and existing survey data.
8	Dames & Moore for the Santa Barbara County Flood Control & Water Conservation District, California Coastal Conservancy, and USDA Soil Conservation Service. 1988. Carpinteria Marsh enhancement project: project description and summary of issues. 21 pp., plus appendices. This report describes a combined flood control and wetland restoration project for the marsh. The project consists primarily of dredging the two creeks to improve their flow capacities, reduce sediment accumulation and increase the tidal prism in the estuary. Detailed plans for dredging and levee construction are contained in the appendix.
9	Planning Department City of Carpinteria. 1980. City of Carpinteria: Coastal Plan. 86 pp., plus appendices. This Local Coastal Program (LCP) consists of the City of Carpinteria's land use plans, zoning ordinances, zoning district maps, and implementing actions for compliance with the requirements of the Coastal Act. This LCP was certified by the Coastal Commission in 1980.
10	Brooks, A. J., Museum of Systematic and Ecology U.C. Santa Barbara. January 1997, personal communication - unpublished survey data of the salinity, temperature and dissolved oxygen at Carpinteria Marsh.
11	California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Region. 1994. Water quality control plan, Central Coast Region. 200 pp., plus appendices. The plan designates beneficial uses and associated water quality objectives for inland surface waters, enclosed bays and estuaries, and ground waters, for the Central Coast (Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz and portions of San Mateo, Kern and Ventura Counties). It includes a discussion of applicable policies and statutory requirements and identifies measures for achieving water quality objectives. It also describes ongoing monitoring and assessment programs. Appendices contain 35 documents, including the text of state and local policies relevant to implementation of the plan, descriptions of ground water basins and sub-areas, and analyses used to develop various discharge and disposal requirements.
12	Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. 1996. 303(d) list of impaired water bodies. 6 pp. A list of waterbodies in the Central Coast Region that do not or are not expected to attain water quality standards after application of required technology-based controls. The list includes the size of the water body, the sampled pollutants affecting designated beneficial uses, the source of the pollutant, and the water body's priority status with regard to developing Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). The TMDL is the total amount of a pollutant that can be discharged into a water body without compromising water quality standards. 303(d) lists are prepared as part of the Water Quality Assessment of the State's major waterbodies, and meet a requirement of section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act.
13	Lafferty, K. D.; Marine Science Institute, UC Santa Barbara. April 1997. Personal communication.
14	Hubbard, D. M. 1996. Tidal cycle distortion in Carpinteria Salt Marsh, California. Bull. So. Calif. Acad. Sci. 95(2). 88-98 pp.
15	Ambrose, R. F. (ed), J. A. Altsatt, K. D. Lafferty, & C. P. Sandoval. 1995. Coastal wetland resources of the Santa Barbara County mainland. Environmental Science and Engineering Program, UCLA. 89 pp. Report briefly describes the physical features and biological community at 10 wetland sites (Santa Maria River, San Antonio Creek, Santa Ynez River, Canada Honda Creek, Canada de Santa Anita, Canada de Alegria, Gaviota Creek, Devereux Slough, Goleta Slough, and Arroyo Burro) in Santa Barbara County to obtain baseline information on these resources. Plants, invertebrates, fishes and birds were surveyed at the 10 sites, and these original survey data are contained within the report. An additional 12 sites were surveyed for the presence of tidewater gobies.