sea level rise (SLR) is altering the physical environment and is a continual challenge to the 1.16 million people of Contra Costa County. With warmer temperatures and more extreme weather, SLR modeling indicates we can expect the County’s shoreline, comprised of built and natural infrastructure, to be subject to more severe and frequent flooding. The assets at risk include homes and businesses, shoreline disadvantaged/impacted communities adjacent to industrial sites, hazardous materials sites, brownfields, the US Navy’s Military Ocean Terminal at Concord, railroads, wastewater treatment facilities, electrical substations, natural gas and crude oil pipelines, prime agricultural resources, and in-Delta Legacy Communities. Contra Costa County is home to four refineries, two of which are in the process of converting their operations to process renewable fuel.
The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) has been leading the Bay Area’s planning response to sea level rise and has conducted numerous studies and reports on the impacts of sea level rise in the region.
According to the April 2023 joint presentation by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)/Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the Bay Conservation and Development Commission to BCDC, the cost to adapt to sea level rise in the Bay Area is estimated to be approximately $110 billion. Of the $110 billion, it is estimated that $13 billion is needed to pay for adaptation in Contra Costa County alone. Contra Costa County was identified as one of three Bay Area counties with significant adaptation implementation gaps.
The County has participated in several regional efforts - BCDC Contra Costa Adapting to Rising Tides study, BCDC East Contra Costa Adapting to Rising Tides study, and Delta Stewardship Council’s Delta Adapts Vulnerability Assessment - that broadly characterize sea level rise risks to subregions of Contra Costa County.
Supervisors Gioia and Burgis have been involved in sea level rise issues impacting the Bay and Delta Estuary. Supervisor Gioia serves on BCDC as a commissioner and is Chair of BCDC’s Elected Official’s sea level rise Working Group. Supervisor Burgis serves as Chair of the Delta Protection Commission and serves on the Delta Stewardship Council.
Additionally, the Draft General Plan and Climate Action Plan will include recommendations to develop, fund, and implement relevant, regionally coordinated sea level rise adaptation measures and to prepare and adopt a countywide sea level rise adaptation plan.
The ad hoc committee will develop recommendations to the Board on work the County can do to plan for sea level rise and improve shoreline resiliency. A potential centerpiece of action could be a sea level rise resiliency and adaptation plan (Plan) for the County shoreline that could build on updated technical information and identify specific and comprehensive actions to address threats within the County and its shoreline cities and communities. The Plan would assess the effectiveness of potential approaches and recommend adaptation strategies at a more granular level than what has been developed through regional planning. Staff have commenced work to seek outside funding for a Plan, and congressional appropriation requests have been submitted.
The Plan could include the following:
· Prescribed actions of natural and constructed infrastructure improvements such as wetland restoration, creek channel restoration, horizontal (living) levees, other types of levee improvements, or sea walls. Improvements that maintain and enhance natural resource values and incorporate natural adaptability, such as reliance on wetlands adaptable to rising sea levels, will likely be a high priority for reasons of cost efficiency and ecosystem resilience.
· Recommendations on potential land use planning changes, including modifying considerations for siting decisions and long-term strategies for shifting development patterns if necessary.
· Implementation strategies, including responsibility for implementing recommended actions, funding strategies, and needs for new or expanded partnerships of both public and private organizations.
· Education resources for stakeholders (e.g., residents, special districts, property owners, and local leaders) to improve understanding of the anticipated threats and long-term commitments that will be necessary to meet the challenge of sea level rise.
· An interactive map utilizing the most current data and assumptions on rising waters. This Geographic Information System (GIS) map would forecast the outcomes of action/inaction and inform the most effective and appropriate sea level rise adaptation strategies within specific communities. This GIS map would be made public, to increase community awareness and help educate those living in affected areas, including the many disadvantaged and vulnerable communities along the County’s shoreline.
The recommendation is that the Board establish a new Contra Costa Resilient Shoreline Ad Hoc committee to address sea level rise to be staffed by the Department of Conservation and Development.