Lake Cachuma/Cachuma Reservoir

Lake name:
Lake Cachuma/Cachuma Reservoir
Location:
California
HydroLAKE ID:
113119
GRanD ID:
620
Latitude:
34.585417
Longitude:
-119.979533
Surface area (km2):
9.6
Basin type:
reservoir
Dam completion date:
1953
Management agency:
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; Cachuma Operation and Maintenance Board
Lake use:
irrigation water supply
Region associations:
Santa Barbara; South Coast; Santa Ynez River
Comments:
A large seacoast reservoir that captures water that would otherwise flow to sea.

Summary of Surveys (3)

Survey Citation:
Robison, K., R. Weems, and D. Anderson. 2008. Western and Clark's Grebe conservation and management in California. Annual report for year four (2008). Report for American Trader and Kure/ Stuyvesant Trustee Councils and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, California.

  • Type
    shore
  • Time period
    2008
  • Source
    Report
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    Y
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults 501 to 1000 900 2008
Most Recent Adults 501 to 1000 900 2008
Max Nests 101 to 500 >=275 2008
Most Recent Nests 101 to 500 >=275 2008
Max Chicks 101 to 500 500 2008
Most Recent Chicks 101 to 500 500 2008

Comments:

Data from Table 3. One of the few Southern California lakes with over 100 grebe nests. Date of surveys not provided. Productivity rate from # of adults in sample and # of young in sample and is considered high. Estimated total # of adults is entered here. Presumed that nesting occured in areas protected by boat exclusion buoys. No other information provided. Subsequent reports have their own entries.

Survey Citation:
Ackerman, J. T., C. A. Hartman, C. A. Eagles-Smith, M. P. Herzog, J. Davis, G. Ichikawa, and A. Bonnema. 2015. Estimating mercury exposure of piscivorous birds and sport fish using prey fish monitoring. Environmental Science & Technology 49:13596–13604.

  • Type
    boat
  • Time period
    April 2012, October 2013
  • Source
    Peer-reviewed
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    Y
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults 1 to 100 presence? 2012
Most Recent Adults 1 to 100 presence? 2012
Max Nests N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Nests N/A N/A N/A
Max Chicks N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Chicks N/A N/A N/A

Comments:

Not a survey but grebes were sampled at 25 lakes in CA from April to October of 2012 (13 lakes) and 2013 (12 lakes). An average of 14 grebes per lake (from 2 to 38 grebes) were captured at night with night-lights. No breakdown of actual numbers captured per lake was provided. Morphometry and molt data, along with blood was collected from each bird for mercury analysis, and sex determination via genetic analysis. From 7 out of the 25 lakes, an average of 14 grebe eggs (from 6 to 23 eggs) were collected. An egg from each randomly sampled nest was collected either from an active nest (random egg) or from an abandoned nest (abandoned egg). Prey fish and sport fish were also sampled an average of 11 days after grebe sampling. At Lake Cachuma, no grebe eggs were collected in 2012 (Figure SI). 354 grebes were captured total from the 25 lakes, 71% were Western grebes, 29% were Clark's, 48% were female, 52% were male. 101 grebe eggs were collected from 7 lakes, of which 62% were Western grebes, 15% were Clark's grebes, 23% were unidentified which. Grebe blood, eggs, and sport fish mercury concentrations were strongly correlated to mercury concentrations in prey fish at the lakes. Grebe mercury concentrations were also strongly correlated with sport fish mercury concentrations. This study showed that prey fish monitoring can estimate mercury exposure of grebes and other piscivorous birds if these birds can't be sampled directly.

Survey Citation:
Ivey, G. L. 2004. Conservation assessment and management plan for breeding Western and Clark’s Grebes in California. Unpublished technical report. American Trader Trustee Council, California. . Accessed 15 January 2020.

  • Time period
    1994?
  • Source
    Conservation Assessment, Management Plan
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    Y
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults 1 to 100 presence 1994?
Most Recent Adults 1 to 100 presence 1994?
Max Nests 1 to 100 presence 1994?
Most Recent Nests 1 to 100 presence 1994?
Max Chicks N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Chicks N/A N/A N/A

Comments:

This entry to capture historical record of breeding grebes in CA prior to 2002. There were small numbers of breeding grebes and noted as colony site in Lake Cachuma, no numbers, years, or other details. Source is Small 1994 so estimated year as 1994.

Sources of Information

  • Messager, M. L., B. Lehner, G. Grill, I. Nedeva, and O. Schmitt. 2016. Estimating the volume and age of water stored in global lakes using a geo-statistical approach. Nature Communications 7:13603. Data is available at www.hydrosheds.org.; Lehner, B., C. Reidy Liermann, C. Revenga, C. Vorosmarty, B. Fekete, P. Crouzet, P. Doll, M. Endejan, K. Frenken, J. Magome, C. Nilsson, J.C. Robertson, R. Rodel, N. Sindorf, and D. Wisser. 2011. Global Reservoir and Dam Database, Version 1 (GRanDv1): Dams, Revision 01. Palisades, New York: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC).
  • Lehner, B., C. Reidy Liermann, C. Revenga, C. Vorosmarty, B. Fekete, P. Crouzet, P. Doll, M. Endejan, K. Frenken, J. Magome, C. Nilsson, J.C. Robertson, R. Rodel, N. Sindorf, and D. Wisser. 2011. Global Reservoir and Dam Database, Version 1 (GRanDv1): Dams, Revision 01. Palisades, New York: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC).
  • Cachuma Project
  • Cachuma Project Biological Opinion (BO)
  • Cachuma Reservoir Water Level