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Findings and Recommendations 12 findings
F1
The City does not have a citywide comprehensive plan that addresses the rising sea level issue.
Related Recommendations (4)
R1a
The City should prepare and adopt a risk assessment in preparation for developing a comprehensive plan regarding the rising sea level issue.
R1b
The City should adopt a citywide comprehensive plan for adaptation to rising sea levels, especially along its shores and its floodplains, which should include a provision that the plan be reviewed and reassessed every five years. The plan should include the provision that construction projects approval should take into account the anticipated lifespan of each project and the risks faced as outlined in said plan. Special consideration should be given to those anticipated to survive for more than thirty years.
R1c
The City should build infrastructure systems that are resilient and adaptable to rising sea levels. The City, through its planning and building departments, should require that any construction project vulnerable to future shoreline or floodplain flooding be designed to be resilient to sea level rise at the 2050 projection, e.g., 16 inches, if the construction is not expected to last longer than 2050. For construction intended to last longer than 2050, it is recommended that the City require that the project be designed to address sea level rise projections for the longer term.
R1d
The City departments that would necessarily be involved in adaptation to rising sea levels, such as Department of Public Works. Public Utilities Commission, Municipal Transportation Agency, the Port, should coordinate their projects with each other and with utility companies, such as PG&E, Comcast, and AT&T, to minimize inconvenience to the public, and to businesses, and further to avoid repetition of efforts and inefficient use of funds, labor, and time. Planning Code and Building Code
F2
The City’s Planning Code has no provisions addressing the impacts associated with rising sea levels. Without appropriate provisions within the City’s Planning Code, there are no effective means to insure sustainable development on land vulnerable to rising sea levels.
Related Recommendations (2)
R2a
The City should amend its Planning Code to include maps showing the areas in the City that are most at risk from the impacts of sea level rise. The Planning Code should be amended to prohibit development in said at-risk areas unless there is compliance with the provisions of the City’s Building Code and the Port’s Building Code (if applicable to the project) outlined in Recommendation 3 below. The amendment should include a provision that the amended sections of the Code regarding the impact of rising sea levels be reviewed and reassessed every five years.
R2b
The Planning Code should be amended to discourage permanent development in at-risk areas where public safety cannot be protected regarding the impact of rising sea levels.
F3
The City’s Building Code and the Port’s Building Code have no provisions addressing the impacts associated with rising sea levels. Without appropriate provisions within the City’s Building Code and the Port’s Building Code, there are no effective means to control construction methods that would insure a project’s resistance to the impacts of rising sea levels.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
The City’s Building Code and the Port’s Building Code should be amended to include: (l) provisions addressing the impacts associated with sea level rise, especially when combined with sudden storm surges and king tides, (2) construction methods that would ensure a project’s resistance to and protection from the impacts of rising sea levels, especially when combined with sudden storm surges and king tides; (3) amendments written to protect the most vulnerable systems, including but not necessarily limited to, electrical, telecommunications, and fire protection systems; (4) a provision that the sections of the Codes regarding the impact of rising sea levels should be reviewed and reassessed every five years. 10
F4
BCDC has the final say on any permit within its jurisdiction.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
The City should consult with BCDC at the onset of development plans within BCDC’s jurisdiction to ensure equitable and efficient results without necessitating surplus expenditures and time. Ocean Beach Master Plan
F5
A comprehensive risk assessment of Ocean Beach, with mitigation recommendations made to the City regarding rising sea levels, was completed by SPUR, with City, State of California and U.S Corps of Engineers involvement, resulting in the Ocean Beach Master Plan, dated May, 2012.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
The City should consider implementation of recommendations that are most pertinent to the City set forth in the Ocean Beach Master Plan, May 2012. Public Utilities Commission
F6
A number of measures can be taken now by the Public Utilities Commission to minimize the impact of sea level rise, especially when combined with future king tides and sudden surges.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
The City should build, through the Public Utilities Commission, larger sewer pumps, sewer pipes, and sewer transport storage boxes surrounding the city in the near future to accommodate king tides, sudden surges, and sea level rise.
F7
Salt water backflows have already infiltrated the City’s wastewater treatment plants, both in the Bayside and Oceanside plants. Salt water kills organisms in the system that clean wastewater and damages wastewater treatment equipment. As a result of sea level rise, bay and ocean saltwater backflow into the wastewater treatment systems will dramatically increase, causing serious problems for the wastewater treatment processes.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
The City should, as an interim measure, retrofit outfalls in the wastewater treatment system with backflow prevention devices to prevent salt water intrusion into the collection systems resulting 11 from high tides, sudden surges, and rising sea level. Local pump stations should also be installed to raise the flow to sewer discharge structures with higher elevations.
F8
The Southeast Wastewater Treatment Plant (Bayside), built in 1952, is aging and needs restoration.
Related Recommendations (1)
R8
The City should retrofit the Southeast Wastewater Treatment Plant to accommodate future king tides, sudden surges, and sea level rise. San Francisco Airport
F9
The San Francisco Airport (SFO) is located slightly above sea level and therefore vulnerable to flooding from heavy rainfall, king tides, and rising sea levels. A number of measures can be taken now by SFO to minimize the impact of sea level rise, especially when combined with future king tides and sudden surges.
Related Recommendations (3)
R9a
SFO should increase the height of its existing seawalls along its runways to accommodate rising sea levels.
R9b
SFO should continue to improve measures to eliminate standing water on its runways to ensure they remain sufficiently above sea level.
R9c
The northern section of SFO should be analyzed by airport engineers to determine how best to protect its wastewater treatment plant and other infrastructure in that section from sea level rise (e.g. construction of sea walls). The Port of San Francisco
F10
The Port of San Francisco is built on landfill, and its seawall lies beneath many buildings along the bay. Many piers are in poor condition. A number of measures can be taken now by the Port to minimize the impact of sea level rise, especially when combined with future king tides and sudden surges. 12
Related Recommendations (2)
R10a
The Port should begin planning and create a timeline for construction of flood control barriers in the low spots along the edges of the piers to prevent waterfront flooding associated with sea level rise.
R10b
To assist with the cost of protective measures to address sea level rise, the Port Commission should establish a reserve fund as part of its leasing policy whereby a surcharge is assessed as part of the rent or as a separate line item in each lease. City Adaptation Funds
F11
The City has not set aside funds for the cost of adaptation to sea level rise.
Related Recommendations (4)
R11a
The City should start a reserve fund for adaptation for rising sea levels, a portion of which could be obtained from a surcharge on development planned for areas vulnerable to said eventuality.
R11b
The City should assess costs of both implementation of adaptation strategies and potential losses from failing to do so.
R11c
The City should explore applying for grants offered by Congress’ Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program. Receipt of grants is based upon risk assessments indicating that potential savings would exceed the cost of implementation. The City should explore available matching funds from the Army Corps of Engineers and other federal sources.
R11d
The City should request an insurance premium estimate from FEMA and then compare that estimate with the funding it could acquire from FEMA for mitigation and adaptation against future flooding. Regional Issues
F12
Rising sea levels is a regional problem. What one community does to protect its shorelines may have a negative impact on a neighboring community.
Related Recommendations (2)
R12a
The City should, through its Mayor and Board of Supervisors, coordinate its efforts with other cities and organizations in the bay area by establishing a working group to address the impact of rising sea levels. This has been successfully accomplished by four counties on the east coast of Florida, as an example.
R12b
That the City create a local working group of community citizens and stakeholders to feed into the regional group. RESPONSE MATRIX