For low-lying coastal communities, sea-level rise adaptation efforts must consider the potential for groundwater rise to avoid maladaptation. A better understanding of groundwater rise can inform the development of more effective and comprehensive sea-level rise adaptation strategies, especially in low-lying vulnerable communities subject to flooding from multiple sources.
Pathways Climate Institute LLC and the San Francisco Estuary Institute gathered and analyzed multiple data sets and collaborated with city and county partners to analyze and map the existing “highest annual” shallow groundwater table and its likely response to future sea-level rise. The initial effort covered four counties (Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo) and was funded by the Bay Area Council’s California Resilience Challenge. A subsequent effort covered Contra Costa County and was funded by the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board.
The mapping focused on the San Francisco Bay side of each county and did not include the Pacific coastline of Marin, San Francisco, nor San Mateo Counties. City and county representatives provided essential support by gathering data and reviewing depth-to-groundwater maps. Additional academic and agency advisors participated in project team meetings and informed project direction. The effort produced the following materials to support adaptation efforts:
- Report
- Existing and future condition depth to groundwater GIS data (geodatabase format).
- StoryMaps providing background information and graphical representations of the processes and impacts of groundwater rise:
- Web maps showing: (1) existing depth to groundwater; and (2) future conditions under various sea-level rise scenarios. Data for Contra Costa County is temporarily hosted in a separate web map.
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See news coverage of this work
Groundwater Mapping Reveals New Vulnerabilities for the Bay Area
Featured in the Los Angeles Times, Mercury News, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner, KneeDeep Times, Marin Independent Journal, KQED, KALW, and ABC News, a new study sheds light on the hazards presented by rising groundwater. Pathways Climate Institute and SFEI have collaborated to produce maps that show where shallow groundwater, tied to sea-level rise, is an issue today and where it is likely to be a concern in the future as seas continue to rise.
SFEI Developed the Bay Shoreline Flood Explorer for BCDC’s ART program, with More to Come
Over the past year, SFEI has been working with the Bay Conservation and Development Commission's (BCDC) Adapting to Rising Tides (ART) program to develop their new Bay Shoreline Flood Explorer.
On May 2, 2019, the San Francisco Chronicle and San Jose Mercury News described how the Adaptation Atlas offers an innovative map of the Bay Area to promote nature-based strategies that can better assist our region in adapting to sea-level rise.
