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Delta panel tries to prepare for sea-level rise; it could be much higher than previously estimated

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on April 20, 2008 at 7:12 am

From the Sacramento Bee:

Global warming could put the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta under much deeper water than previously estimated.

A panel appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is urging him to prepare for a sea level rise of 55 inches in the Delta by the end of this century. That’s a lot more water than any estimates currently in use by the state.

The Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force, in fact, found during its research that many state agencies still have no target number at all to plan for sea level rise. That includes Caltrans, which is planning to widen Highway 12, a cross-Delta route between Lodi and Fairfield that already lies 20 feet below sea level in places.

A sea level increase of 55 inches, or about 1.4 meters, would probably overwhelm most levees in the Delta. It would also likely flood thousands of acres of low-lying urban land surrounding the Delta, including some neighborhoods, urban water intakes, sewage treatment outfalls, highways and other utilities.

“The problem is, this is a high-risk area,” said Phil Isenberg, Delta Vision chairman and a former Sacramento mayor and state assemblyman. We ought to have a common planning assumption for state agencies. Because the more rise you predict, well, the more complicated life becomes in the future.”

Read the full text of the story from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.

April 20, 2008 · Filed Under Delta Issues, Delta Vision Task Force

Comments

One Response to “Delta panel tries to prepare for sea-level rise; it could be much higher than previously estimated”

David Wiltsee on April 20th, 2008 3:02 pm

If sea level rises 55″, protecting the low-lying land adjacent to the Delta will be the least of California’s problems.

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