By Jeffrey Meyer / San Diego 350.org
A few weeks ago, San Diego coastal cities were given a stark reminder of the threat to public safety and our $15 billion a year tourism industry by increasing tides and coastal flooding. With this problem becoming more severe, year after year, the lack of substantive coastal infrastructure planning can become a countdown to disaster.
The latest combination of high astronomical tides and elevated surf caused strong rip currents and some flooding at low-lying areas along beaches. Known as king tides, they are expected to return to our coastline on January 19-21 and February 17-19. They have become a harbinger of damage to our coastline as we confront increasing sea levels during this century.
The warnings have been clear and consistent. There have been numerous local studies that show anticipated damage, but the only new infrastructure proposals to deal with rising sea levels in San Diego came from the U.S. Navy. Last year it submitted a draft proposal to the EPA for 24 military construction projects on Coronado Island that would be constructed over 10 years at a cost of $700 million. Although it was kicked back for a better assessment of environmental impacts it is an effort not seen in city halls lining our coast.
Although scientists have been reporting increasing sea levels for years, we have only one city, Imperial Beach, currently conducting a beach sea level rise study. Del Mar has applied for a grant for a similar study, but there is not a combined coastal effort to move beyond studies to actually planning anything. A 2013 report by the ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability clearly outlined what must be done to prepare the San Diego coastline for increasing sea levels. In their report, however, they noted that many cities in our region lack “even broad-brush qualitative sea level rise vulnerability assessments.” Without those assessments, we are unable to fully explore what is needed to avoid damage to ecosystems, existing infrastructures and our economy.
Still, we seem to have enough data to initiate some infrastructure planning. City politicians on our coastline need only read “Sea Level Rise Adaptation Strategy for San Diego Bay” or the San Diego Foundation’s “Regional Wakeup Call.” These reports say our coastline faces a litany of threats, including not only smaller beaches but some that will completely disappear. This should be enough to inspire limited plans that can be initiated without vulnerability assessments.
What seems to be lacking is a synergy of purpose between San Diego communities and public pressure for action. To get some traction on this issue it might help to ask our political leaders to join a local effort to raise awareness about increasing sea levels in our area. There is an upcoming art project in Mission Beach near the roller coaster at Belmont Park to show the high tide flood line that is anticipated for the year 2050.
The “HighWaterLine” project will be January 19, according to organizers from SanDiego350. They will be drawing a chalk line along Mission Blvd. from 10 am to 2 pm showing a coastline we will likely face in 35 years. Politicians can stand on the chalk and perhaps better visualize the problem at their feet.
We need to look into the necessity of structures like bridging berms, as part of an overall flood protection system from increased sea levels. Our community has to figure out how to pay for it, perhaps looking at New York City’s “Green Bonds,” which are issued to fund environmental mitigation and sustainability capital projects. We might also look at catastrophe bonds that cover storm-surge risk. Lots of projects to keep politicians busy but they need to get to work.
It is well past time for action on this issue. Climate action plans being produced throughout the county need to more fully address sea level rise, with specific plans for vulnerability assessments. We need to urge coastal city leaders to begin serious infrastructure planning for increased sea levels to mitigate what can be a formidable disaster for our community.
Jeffrey Meyer is a SanDiego350 Volunteer. #HighWaterLine#ChalkSD
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San Diego has the same United States Bulkhead elevation since the Bulkhead was establish in 1850, 165 years Ago.
That mean, currently the proposed Convention Center Expansion would be underwater within the next 50 years.
The solution is to Re-Establish the San Diego Bay’s United States Bulkhead Elevation by 10 feet with easy solution to raise of lower the Bulkhead based upon need and time. Then require a Full Reclamation of our Public Tidelands to create up to 40 feet of sub terrain space for urban storm water runoff, and Desalinization. At the perfect location, sea level.
http://tinyurl.com/20111104a
Please read our solution for Climate Change, Environmental Health, and Water Security through a full Reclamation of our Public State Tidelands government was funding from the State’s new $17.12 Billion Water Bond through the creation of Cistern Structural Foundation at a Re-Establish United States Bulkhead Line.
http://tinyurl.com/20110124a
Currently, the Port of San Diego is still violating the State’s Seismic Hazard Mapping Act (SHMA) by hiding scientific evidence of active faulting from the City, California Coastal Commission, and the State Geologist. Let alone their incompetence as it related to approving projects which are expected to flood in the near future due to raising sea levels.
Reduce the population.
Having lived in Mission Beach for 25 years, 1970-95, I experienced a number of flooding events. The flooding was mostly at the intersection of Ventura Place and south to the jetty from about Devon Court.
Most people don’t know that the ocean front is actually at a higher elevation than is Mission Bay. So, Bayside and Mission Blvd. are flooded and Strandway remains relatively clear (this doesn’t mean that properties west of Mission Blvd. aren’t impacted – the ocean overflows through those areas and adds to the flooding from high water levels in Mission Bay. This is complicated by high tides so that there’s no where for ocean water to drain into the Bay, plus the berms constructed along the Bayside can both protect and cause drainage east problems. I’m sure most of us have seen the sandbags in front of the grocery store and the Beachcomber at San Gabriel Place as well as those across the boulevard on the west side.
This has been a necessity as long as I lived in South Mission; I’m sure this was reality long before I moved there. The King Tides during the full moon in December were, respectively, 7.0′-7.1′-7.0′. On January 18-22, high tides will be 6.7′-7.0′-7.1′-7.2′-6.7′. Combined with storm and high waves, flooding damage would be disastrous even today. Can you imagine what it will be like with any rise in sea level? Residents/property owners need to be prepared by protecting their ground floors – or at least possessions on the ground floor – from floods (good luck!) and move their cars out of the beach area.