In the South Bay, engineers are racing to finish a new levee system meant to shield thousands of homes from rising seas. Behind the levee, workers are restoring tidal wetlands to absorb storm surges. The South San Francisco Bay Shoreline project is a model for climate adaptation — and also a case study in how long it takes California to approve a project like this. The project has been slowed by over a decade of environmental review and multi-agency coordination under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), even as the water levels in the Bay creep higher each year. This is a pattern across California: From groundwater recharge basins in the Central Valley to coastal retreat fights in Pacifica, CEQA timelines, exemptions and litigation are directly influencing whether adaptation keeps pace with our changing climate.
–Written by Erin Gustafson, environmental planner and UC Davis graduate student.