Parts of Richmond are estimated to be at risk from a three-foot (91 cm) increase in sea levels, even as the waters of the Pacific Ocean along California’s coast are projected to rise by more than twice that due to climate change this century. From building sea walls to nurturing “living” seashores, an array of potential solutions have been discussed by local authorities up and down the coast, but all are expensive and none had come up with a way of addressing the cost - until now. Under a new state bill, a “revolving” fund would be set up to provide soft loans for cities like Richmond to buy vulnerable seaside properties from willing sellers, and then rent them back to the owners or tenants for as long as they remained habitable. The proposal has been billed as the first strategic attempt to address the task of moving coastal cities back from rising seas, and it could also help local government leaders like Butt maintain the stream of revenue with rental income. Read more

A study currently being conducted on the Hagåtña River and on ways to prevent flooding in the area is now half-way completed, according to officials. The study, conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will determine the best alternatives for controlling flooding in the village. The hope is that once flooding mitigation measures are put in place, Hagåtña will experience a revitalization boom. Edwin Reyes, administrator for the Guam Coastal Management Program under the Bureau of Statistics and Plans, says that the project will bring life back to village. "One of the biggest achievements we are now at is identifying a locally preferred plan, which is a plan that (the government of Guam) agreed to," Reyes said.Reyes estimates that about 90% of the village is in a special flood hazard area. Hagåtña is also in a 1% AEP floodplain, meaning that there is a 1 in 100 chance that a flood could occur in the area in any year. The review plan approval for the river study states that critical infrastructure in Hagåtña that could potentially be affected by flooding is valued at approximately $28.5 million. Some of the major infrastructure and essential facilities that could be affected are the wastewater treatment plant, the Hagåtña police precinct, the Emergency Operations Center and Homeland Security offices and major transportation systems such as Route 4. Read more

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and state Coastal Resources Management Council will conduct a virtual public workshop Wednesday night to discuss a project aimed at reducing the risk of storm damage by elevating coastal properties in Westerly, Charlestown, Narragansett, and South Kingstown. The project area includes a series of coastal barrier beaches that front seven coastal ponds. The storm risk reduction effort, formally known as the Pawcatuck River Coastal Storm Risk Management Project, follows a final feasibility and environmental assessment study report released in February 2018 that identifies structures potentially eligible for participation in the project. The total value of the existing residential and commercial inventory in the study area is estimated at more than $600 million, according to the report. Read More

The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation has received a $1 million grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to expand the implementation of living shorelines in Rural Coastal Virginia to reduce coastal erosion and benefit water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. The grant was awarded by NFWF and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grant Program, a core program under NFWF’s Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund promoting community-based efforts to protect and restore the diverse natural resources of the Chesapeake Bay. “Living shorelines are critical to restoring the Chesapeake Bay, and to protecting coastal communities from increased flooding and erosion associated with climate change and sea level rise,” Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources Matthew J. Strickler said. “Virginia is grateful for this funding from NFWF and EPA.” DCR, through its Shoreline Erosion Advisory Service, will use the grant to provide financial incentives for the construction of nearly 1,400 feet of new living shorelines in socially vulnerable areas of Rural Coastal Virginia, a 12-county region that covers the Northern Neck, Middle Peninsula and Eastern Shore. This region of the Chesapeake Bay watershed covers tidal portions of the Potomac, Rappahannock and York rivers and many smaller coastal tributaries. Read more

Gov. Edwards joined the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) along with federal, state, and local officials for a groundbreaking ceremony on the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain Hurricane Protection system. The project will provide 100-year hurricane and storm surge protection to 60,000 Louisianans in St. Charles, St. James, and St. John the Baptist parishes. The $760 million project will span 18.5 miles, including 17.5 miles of levees, one mile of T-wall, drainage structures, pump stations, and several non-structural protection measures to form an integrated protection system. The structure will span from the Bonnet Carre Spillway to the Mississippi River Levee near Garyville and provide storm surge protection and improved resilience on the western shores of Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas. Read more

The Air Force Civil Engineer Center helped secure more than $24 million to protect mission readiness and the environment at three installations: White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina; and Tyndall AFB, Florida. The funds were awarded in June as part of the Department of Defense’s Readiness Environmental Protection Integration Program’s annual REPI Challenge. Each year, the DoD offers funding for projects that demonstrate innovative approaches to protect the military mission and bring eligible partners to the table who can contribute funds to purchase land. This year’s challenge yielded $13.3 million from contributing partners. At Tyndall AFB, a combined $10 million will help shape the Installation of the Future and protect the base’s fighter mission as it prepares for three F-35 squadrons arriving in September 2023 and $5.25 million more from the Nature Conservancy. The project supports a multifaceted approach to improve the resiliency of the installation, including constructing up to 1,000 feet of living shorelines and 3,500 feet of submerged shoreline. Additionally, the project will create 1,500 feet of oyster reef habitat and protect or enhance the shoreline habitat next to Tyndall’s drone runway, a critical base operation. Read more

California Coastal Commission - Multiple Coastal Program Positions