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From:NINA GOODALE <br />To:publiccomment <br />Subject:AGENDA ITEM 9A <br />Date:Monday, November 4, 2024 5:04:04 PM <br />You don't often get email from nina.goodale111@gmail.com. Learn why this is important <br />Honorable Mayor Gee & Council: <br />Thank you for considering today’s Agenda Item 9A: Study Session on the <br />City’s Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment (SLRVA) and adaptation <br />planning efforts. <br />While this study represents an opportunity to consider the urgency of the <br />complex impacts of Sea Level Rise throughout our city, please note that critical <br />attention and emphasis must additionally be given to the fact that: 1) <br />Groundwater Rise poses a serious threat to shoreline locations, not only by <br />corroding infrastructure, but also by mobilizing hazardous contaminants <br />through soil and air pathways. 2) Compound extremes should be considered in <br />addition to separate SLR vulnerability risk assessment scenarios. <br />Additionally critical is the fact that Redwood City’s SLRVA should be updated to <br />reflect current statewide guidance, including the following: <br />1. <br />The California State Ocean Protection Council’s updated guidance, adopted <br />on June 4, 2024 to help California prepare for and adapt to rising seas. It <br />is summarized as follows: <br />WHAT TO KNOW. Topline findings from the 2024 Guidance: <br />• Land movement, either rising or sinking, is the primary driver of local <br />variations in sea level rise across the state. <br />• There is now greater certainty in the amount of sea level rise expected <br />in the next 30 years, with a statewide average of 0.8 feet of rise <br />projected by 2050. By 2100, statewide sea levels are expected to rise <br />between 1.6 feet and 3.1 feet, and even higher amounts cannot be ruled <br />out. <br />• Beyond 2100, the range of sea level rise becomes increasingly large <br />due to uncertainties associated with physical processes, such as earlier- <br />than-expected ice sheet loss and California Ocean Protection Council <br />resulting in future sea-level rise. <br />By 2150, statewide sea levels may rise from 2.6 feet to 11.9 feet, <br />although even higher amounts are possible. <br />• Today’s coastal storms provide a glimpse into our future in which storm <br />events will <br />become more damaging and dangerous as climate change and sea level <br />rise continues. When combined with extreme storms and higher tides, <br />sea level rise will result in accelerated cliff and bluff erosion, coastal