DRAMA AT THE LAGOON… Last spring it looked like 2008 would be a good year for local steelhead, with higher-than-average numbers making it past the San Clemente Dam. By mid-July, volunteers had rescued record numbers of the juvenile fish from the Carmel River’s drying-up tributaries. But 2009 may not flow so well for the endangered fish. The Monterey County Public Works Department breached the Carmel River Lagoon beginning the night of Feb. 15, according to Frank Emerson of the Carmel River Steelhead Association, who observed the breach the next morning. County workers attempted to angle the breach in a northerly-directed channel to minimize injury to maturing steelhead, Emerson reports, but the flow blasted out a straight channel anyway. “It started going out pretty gently, then it got a lot of steam behind it from the water pressure,” he says. “The water level dropped from 8.5 feet to 5.3 feet in 30 minutes.” [KA]

BREAKING BOUNDARIES… The Monterey Peninsula Unified School District has rolled out a major reconfiguration of school boundaries that will create “learning communities” surrounding Marina, Seaside and Monterey high schools designed for students to attend school close to their neighborhoods. Even though 11 schools will get new boundaries next school year, district officials say most students can remain at their current school if they want because the district has capacity to accommodate intra-district transfers. Due to declining enrollment and budget savings, MPUSD is also calling for the closure of Marina Del Elementary School. Visit www.mpusd.k12.ca.us for details on the boundary changes. [ZS]

PLAN FOR THE FUTURE… Monterey County kicked off (another) General Plan Update review at the Planning Commission meeting on Feb. 18, past the Weekly’s deadline, with a staff presentation. Now in its fifth version, the 20-year blueprint for future growth in the unincorporated areas of Monterey County, GPU 5, has been in the works for nearly a decade. The public review period on the Draft Environmental Impact Report ended earlier this week, but final review – and ultimate approval – of the general plan won’t happen until the final EIR is completed. The GPU and draft EIR are available online, www.co.monterey.ca.us/planning/[JL]