Sea Level Rise

 September 9, 2020 Zoom Webinar on City of Palo Alto Sea Level Rise Projects and Planning Efforts

• Webinar recording
• Palo Alto Flood Basin Tide Gate Structure Replacement PowerPoint (Robert Yamane, Valley Water)
• South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Phase II Feasibility Study PowerPoint (Roxanne Grillo, Valley Water)
• Palo Alto Horizontal Levee Pilot Project PowerPoint (Samantha Engelage, City of Palo Alto)
• Palo Alto Sea Level Rise/Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Plan PowerPoint (Julie Weiss, City of Palo Alto)

For more information on the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan webinar series, visit our Community Engagement webpage. 

City of Palo Alto Sea Level Rise Adaptation Policy 
Staff Report for March 18 City Council Meeting (background and proposed policy adoption)
February 27 Meeting Presentation 
Study Session on Sea Level Rise (May 31, 2016)
Sustainability and Climate Action Plan
Comprehensive Plan

City of Palo Alto Sustainability and Climate Action Plan.
State of California Ocean Protection Council Sea Level Rise Guidance
USGS predicts impacts of Sea level Rise greater than anticipated
San Francisco Estuary Institute Adaptation Atlas
Adapting to Rising tides (interactive maps for local sea level rise)
Planning for Rising Waters: Sea Level, Groundwater and the Bay Edge (video) U.C. Berkeley’s Dr. Kristina Hill discusses the impacts of sea level rise on groundwater and the impacts to communities.
Naturalist Talk: The Dynamic Nature of the Salt Marsh Webinar
Naturalist Talk: King Tides and Our Changing Shorelines Webinar

• South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Phase II Feasibility Study (Valley Water project). This project is a partnership with the California State Coastal Conservancy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and regional stakeholders to provide tidal flood protection, restore and enhance tidal marsh and related habitats, and provide recreational and public access opportunities. For more information contact Roxanne Grillo at rgrillo@valleywater.org, (408) 630-2925 or use the Access Valley Water customer request system.

• Palo Alto Flood Basin Tide Gate Structure (Valley Water project). This project seeks to: repair the aging Palo Alto Flood Basin Tide Gate (designed in anticipation of future predicted sea level rise), provide flood protection for homes, businesses and Highway 101, and to protect Baylands habitat. For more information contact Robert Yamane at ryamane@valleywater.org, (408) 630-2925 or use the Access Valley Water customer request system.
  
  
• Palo Alto Horizontal Levee Pilot Project. The City of Palo Alto is working with the San Francisco Estuary Partnership to revise a preliminary design for a horizontal levee pilot project within the Palo Alto Baylands. Also known as “living levees,” these structures are engineered, vegetated slopes extending from land into the Bay. Horizontal levees are designed to enhance existing bayland habitat and provide a layer of protection from rising tides. View the Preliminary Design Report(PDF, 34MB), drawings(PDF, 9MB), and factsheet(PDF, 329KB).
  
  
• Regional Water Quality Control Plant (RWQCP) Secondary Outfall Project. This project provides maintenance for the existing 52-year old outfall pipe, pump replacement for effluent discharged to Renzel March, and reliable transport of treated wastewater effluent under projected climate change and sea level rise scenarios. Construction will begin in fall 2020.
  
  
• Baylands Comprehensive Conservation Plan (BCCP) The BCCP will address future management of the Baylands including conservation, recreation and visitor use and become a framework for managing the Baylands for the next 15 years and beyond. Stakeholder and public input are important aspects of the planning process.
  
  
• Climate Change and Sea Level Rise at the Palo Alto Baylands. The goal of this document is to describe the potential impacts of sea level rise on physical assets and habitats in the Baylands and to describe high-level measures that the City of Palo Alto (City) can take to adapt to climate change and sea level rise.