Wetland Profile: Dairy Creek

Published 10/30/2004

LOCATION

County

San Luis Obispo

USGS Quadrangle

San Luis Obispo

Descriptive Location

Dairy Creek flows into Chorro Creek.

Longitude & Latitude

-120°43'60" W, +35°19'29" N

Wetland Complex

Chorro Creek

OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT & LOCAL AUTHORITIES

Management Authorities	Source
Management
El Chorro Regional Park and Golf Course	2

Group Name	Website	Source
Local Interest Groups
San Luis Botanical Garden		1

LAND USE

On Site Use	Source
Open Space	2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Recreation	2, 3, 6
Rural Lands	5

Historic On Site Use	Source
Agriculture	3, 4
Native American Use	5
Open Space	2, 4, 5
Public Facilities	3

Adjacent Use	Source
Agriculture	3, 7
Open Space	2, 3, 4, 6, 7
Public Facilities	2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Recreation	3, 6, 7
Rural Lands	5

Historic Adjacent Use	Source
Agriculture	3, 4, 7
Open Space	3, 4, 7
Public Facilities	3
Recreation	3

HYDROLOGY

Tributary Influence	Influence	Source
Tributary Influence
Main tributary	25 cfs maximum	7
Park-side tributary		7
Spring		2
Spring-fed seasonal tributary		5
Upper tributary	5 cfs maximum	7

Alterations	Comments	Source
Wetland Alterations
Chain Link Fence		5
Dams	Beaver dams in creek	5
Engineered Channel	Riprap, 404 ft away from Chorro Creek	6
Flow Obstructions	Culvert/Paved stream crossing, 350 ft away from Chorro Creek	6
Flow Obstructions	Dirt road culvert for northern drainage channel	3
Non-point Source	Agriculture	4, 6
Non-point Source	Agriculture and Urban Runoff	3
Storm Drains		6

WATER QUALITY

Program Name	Parameters	Comments	Website	Source
Monitoring Programs
Snapshot Day	Numerous	Lower Dairy Creek, where the park road crosses the creek; 2002-2004	http://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ snapshot/snapshot1.html	9
MBNEP Volunteer Monitoring Program	Numerous	2 sites: Lower Dairy Creek, where the park road crosses the creek; Middle Dairy Creek, above the locked gate in El Chorro Regional Park	http://www.mbnep.org/volunt.htm	10

Parameter	Duration	Comments	Source
Water Quality Data
Dissolved Oxygen	February 19, February 22, March 11, 1992	At El Chorro	8
Nutrients	1993-Present	CCAMP data	7
Nutrients	February 19, February 22, March 11, 1992	At El Chorro	8
Nutrients	February 1956, March 1993		3
Salinity	February 1956, March 1993		3
Temperature	June-August 2001		6
Turbidity	February 19, February 22, March 11, 1992	At El Chorro	8
pH	February 19, February 22, March 11, 1992	At El Chorro	8
pH	February 1956, March 1993		3

SOILS

Comments	Source
Climara-Diablo Association	2
Detailed description of streambed	4
Los Osos-Millshorn Association	2

VEGETATION

Common Name	Scientific Name	Source
Non Native Plants The Non-native plant list is not intended to be a representative list of all plants found in the wetland. To learn more about all plants found in the wetland, including natives, please refer to the lists documented in the Vegetation Comments section.
Annual grasses	None	5
Black mustard	Brassica nigra	11
Bull thistle	Cirsium vulgare	11
Eucalyptus (Blue gum)	Eucalyptus globulus	3
Red brome	Bromus madritensis ssp rubens	11

Comments	Source
Vegetation Comments
Detailed description of vegetative cover	4
Vascular plant list	3

ANIMALS

Common Name	Scientific Name	Federal	State	Source
Special Status Animals
California red-legged frog	Rana aurora draytonii	Threatened	None	3, 11
Monarch butterfly	Danaus plexippus	None	None	3, 11
Steelhead - south/central California coast esu	Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus	Threatened	None	6

Common Name	Scientific Name	Source
Non Native Animals
Bullfrog	Rana catesbeiana	11
European starling	Sturnus vulgaris	11

Comments	Source
Animal Comments
Historic spawning grounds for steelhead, but no fish exist currently	4

Amphibian Sources

Bird Sources

2, 3

Mammal Sources

2, 3

WETLAND IMPACTING ACTIVITIES

Activity	Source
In the Wetland
Active/Severe riparian erosion	3, 4, 6
Grazing	2, 4, 6
Hiking	5
Impoundment	6
Non-native plant invasion	5
Road construction	6, 7

Activity	Source
Adjacent to the Wetland
Agriculture	5
Camping	3, 6, 7
Fertilizer application	3, 7
Fossil fuel combustion	2
Grazing	2, 4, 5, 6, 7
Hiking	3, 5
Non-native plant invasion	3, 5
Pesticide Application/Mosquito Control	3
Recreation (other)	3, 6
Road construction	6, 7
Surface/subsurface drainage	7

SOURCES

Source	Author(s)	Year Published	Document Name
1	Morro Bay National Estuary Program	2004	Personal Communication
2	Dossetti, John A.	1974	The utilization of water resources for the wildlife sanctuary at El Chorro Regional Park.
3	Envicom Corporation	1994	Final Environmental Impact Report - El Chorro Golf Course
4	Patterson, Kevin D.	1993	Dairy Creek stream quality: a base-line study for the evaluation of the El Chorro Regional Park cattle exclusion plan.
5	Woods, Del E.	1975	A development plan and economic analysis for the El Chorro Park Wildlife Sanctuary.
6	Coastal San Luis Resource Conservation District	None	Morro Bay watershed steelhead restoration planning project: stream inventory report: Dairy Creek, 2001.
7	Langman, Jeff Bryan	1997	An examination of fertilizer best management practices on Dairy Creek Golf Course by monitoring nitrate levels in surface water and shallow groundwater
8	Brecheisen, Vicki	1992	Survey of Osos and Chorro Creeks with empasis on nitrate and phosphate concentration and their effect on Morro Bay and groundwater quality.
9	Snapshot Day	None	None
10	Morro Bay National Estuary Program	2004	Morro Bay National Estuary Program Volunteer Monitoring Program
11	Envicom Corporation	1993	El Chorro Regional Park Proposed Golf Course, Environmental Constraints Analysis

The Wetland Profiles are not suitable for any regulatory purpose, and should not be the basis for any determination relating to the natural resource characteristics of any particular site or geographic area as well as impact assessment or mitigation. Please read the CCWGIS disclaimer for more details.