Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Red Car Property: Vernal Pools, Mudwatch

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 15, 2015.  With almost 3" of rain in this morning, most of the water ran off the hills and into the vernal pools of the Red Car Property, and then to the storm drains.  Despite all 3 Red Car Canyon Lakes filling up quickly, you could still walk easily around their shores.  This will not be the case once the rains come more frequently.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)
Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 15, 2015.  Once north of the last lake, the wooded canyon area was quite walkable.
Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 15, 2015.  The midsection of the property had smaller puddles, except for the vernal pool draining into the  downslope neighbor's backyard.
Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 15, 2015.  The Lot C vernal pool is going to be very difficult to navigate this winter since berm constructed years ago to discourage people from joyriding on the north end of the property traps the stormwater draining from the slope above (Adelbert).
Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 15, 2015.  The taller green weeds in the marsh in Lake Corralitas, at the south end of the Red Car Property, are beneficiaries of the inch of rain we had in one day in July.  

The slope above the Red Car Property meadow is extremely steep and drains directly onto the Red Car Property.  In big El Nino years,  most of the the meadow will be under ankle deep water.