Community unites as troubling signs emerge near their hometown: 'Stark reminder of what we're all grappling with'

Rising sea levels are a threat that Bay Area residents can no longer ignore, as evidenced by events like king tides. While those isolated incidents aren't the real worry, they are just another sign that more troubling events are on the way unless the community takes action.

What's happening?

Tri-City Voice reported on how the nonprofit Greenbelt Alliance is collaborating with various stakeholders to enhance the Bay Area's resilience to rising sea levels. The group recently formed the Hayward Shoreline Resilience Collaborative to prepare the shoreline for sea-level impacts.

They held their first event on Nov. 18 at Hayward's Cherryland Community Center and were encouraged by a packed turnout with an engaged audience. Local, state, and national groups are part of the effort focused on nature-based solutions, such as bolstering marshlands to prepare the Hayward shoreline for sea-level impacts. 

Hogan Edelberg of SCAPE, a landscape architecture practice, indicated that king tides (exceptionally high tides, for example) are a visceral indication that the Bay Area is already facing sea-level rise.

"It's really an amazing and very present stark reminder of what we're all grappling with as these waters rise," he said. "It starts to affect the places that we go and the habitats, and the ecologies that support these animals."

Why is addressing sea-level rise in the Bay Area important?

Sea-level rise represents an existential threat to coastal communities. Without intervention, they offer an unfortunate preview of a bleak future where the ocean spills into communities, gobbling up homes and businesses.

As humankind continues to pollute more each year and spur on record-breaking temperatures, we cause glaciers to melt, ocean waters to warm, and sea levels to rise. Low-lying communities, including those in the Bay Area, are particularly vulnerable as these patterns continue.

What's being done about sea-level rise in the Bay Area?

Three projects were introduced at the meeting that could make a world of difference in the Bay Area. 

Work has already begun on one of them. The Regional Shoreline Adaptation Master Plan dates back to 2021 and includes over 20 projects to mitigate flooding, erosion, and habitat loss in Hayward. That initiative helped establish a blueprint for comprehensive solutions.

"What that document really did, looking very closely with the members of the community, was to develop a vision for a full shoreline adaptation strategy that addresses both sea-level rise, habitat enhancement, and preservation," Edelberg explained to Tri-City Voice.

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Another initiative is the First Mile Project, which proposes a horizontal levee designed to slow water flow, improve water quality, and improve habitat. This "living levee" would include vegetation on it to promote marshlands and go beyond a conventional levee.

The last project is similarly nature-based and aims to create treatment wetlands out of the Hayward Water Resource Recovery Facility's former oxidation ponds. It links back to the horizontal levee, as it could connect trails for community use.

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