City of Benicia Adaptation Plan

The City of Benicia was awarded a $150,000 Coastal Conservancy Climate Ready Grant to conduct a climate change vulnerability assessment and develop an Adaptation Plan. With input from local, regional,and state agencies as well as the community, including Arts Benicia, we decided to assess how sea level rise, flooding, and increased temperatures will be exacerbated by climate change. To do this, we first collected information about existing conditions in the City. For example, we know that E. 2nd Street floods during a storm event and a high tide. Then, we used global climate models to determine how these existing conditions might change over time as a result of our climate warming. We assessed impacts in 2050 and 2100. Now that we better understand what the local impacts and risks are in Benicia, we are developing strategies to reduce those risks and create a more resilient community.

Benicia State Recreation Area during a King Tide, 1/20 @ 12:44pm. 
King Tide could be daily tide by year 2050.

Have a picture of a King Tide? Send it to yess@kingtides.net with a description of your location. Post it to social media with #Kingtides

For example, one possible adaptation strategy is to increase the number of rain gardens in the City. Raingardens, like the Bio-labyrinth Raingarden being built by Artist Mark Brest van Kempen, can help reduce stormwater run-off and pollution in nearby water bodies. Why is this important? The Existing Conditions Report shows that flooding is already an issue in Benicia and as tide levels increase, it will get worse.

During a storm, water runs off impervious surfaces like roofs, driveways, and parking lots and goes into the stormwater system - a combination of storm drains and pipes. If the storm occurs during a high tide or King Tide (http://california.kingtides.net/), the stormwater has no place to go since it is met by tide water that has inundated the stormwater inlets. If there is low tide, then the stormwater follows gravity down through the drains and pipes and out to the Carquinez Straight. One way to reduce flooding is to lessen the amount of stormwater that makes its way to the system. Rain gardens can absorb this run-off and help reduce flooding!

We have begun to develop adaptation strategies, but we still need your input! We want the strategies
and our final plan to be realistic for Benicia residents and help prepare everyone for existing and future events.

You can give us your feedback online by going to

 http://www.peakdemocracy.com/portals/203/Forum_566/Issue_2343.

If you need help or have questions, please contact Alex Porteshawver, consulting Climate Action Plan Coordinator for the City. She can be reached at 707.746.4276 or

aporteshawver@ci.benicia.ca.us.