We are excited to share our newly published report, ???????? ?????? ??????????: ?????????????????????? ???????? ?????????????? ???? ???????? ???????? ???????? — ?? ???????? ?????????? ?????? ?????????????????? ???????????????????? by Sarah Atkinson.
As Bay Area policymakers plan for the impacts of sea level rise, they have an opportunity and duty to address another emerging climate change hazard: groundwater rise. Doing so will reduce and avoid significant human health and economic impacts. Without adaptation measures, groundwater rise in the Bay Area’s low-lying communities will exacerbate flooding events, damage belowground infrastructure, mobilize contaminants at legacy industrial sites, and increase the risk of building damage in an earthquake.
SPUR’s latest report identifies how rising groundwater is likely to affect one Bay Area city: East Palo Alto. SPUR partnered with community-based organization Nuestra Casa and examined recent scientific studies to learn more about the threat and potential policy responses. The report explains specific risks and offers five recommendations — all applicable to other Bay shore cities.
Some key takeaways:
1?? East Palo Alto and other low-lying Bay shore communities will feel the impacts of groundwater rise long before sea level rise causes overland flooding.
2?? Efforts to lessen those impacts should be part of state, regional, and local plans for sea level rise adaptation, infrastructure upgrades, and contaminated site remediation.
3?? Strategies need to be equity-focused: like other climate change risks, groundwater rise is likely to be most severe in low-income communities of color already by industrial pollution, aging infrastructure, and housing affordability.
To read the full report visit https://lnkd.in/ditZCmfw
