The following is excerpted from the Marin County Sea Level Rise Adaptation Newsletter:
With more than 70 miles of coast and 40 miles of Bay Shore, Marin County is one of the communities most affected by sea level rise in the Bay Area. Rising sea levels will affect many parts of life here, including the safety of and access to our schools, businesses, roads, and wastewater treatment plants. Sea level rise crosses city, town, and county boundaries.
While Marin’s sea level rise vulnerabilities have been well studied and documented, there is a gap between the scale of adaptation that needs to occur and the number of adaptation projects that have been implemented. There is a shrinking window to bridge this gap before sea level rise rapidly escalates flooding and damages.
Today, there are many jurisdictions, public agencies, and organizations across the county that are planning for and implementing sea level rise adaptation projects, but there is no formalized and coordinated multi-jurisdictional approach to sea level rise planning. Sea level rise planning, however, requires creative, collaborative approaches to plan, fund, and implement projects that will protect the health and well-being of our communities and the environment.
Preparing for Sea Level Rise, Together
Recognizing the need for a comprehensive approach to planning and project implementation across disciplines and jurisdictions, the County of Marin is sponsoring a study to identify, through collaboration with local agencies and community partners, a multijurisdictional approach to sea level rise adaptation planning across the county.
This study aims to answer two key questions:
- How can cities, towns, communities, and the County collaborate to advance sea level rise adaptation planning and implement solutions?
- How can the County organize its staff and resources to effectively and efficiently support a potential new governance structure and deliver future adaptation projects in unincorporated areas?
Since the study kicked off in early summer 2024, the project team:
- Initial Kickoff Meetings: Met with select stakeholders across the county to gather early input on engagement goals, strategies, and audiences. Engaged leaders in historically under-resourced and unincorporated communities to understand the existing landscape of organizations, projects, and approaches for engaging their communities.
- Research: Conducted case study research on multi-jurisdictional, collaborative approaches to sea level rise planning. Interviewed leaders from several agencies/collaboratives to understand lessons learned.
- Stakeholder Engagement Strategy: Drafted and refined an engagement strategy and committee proposal based on input from initial kickoff meetings.
- Steering Committee: Worked with local agencies to identify steering committee members. Kicked off the Steering Committee in late November 2024.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Began stakeholder engagement focus groups in late November 2024 and will continue meeting with stakeholder groups across the county through the first few months of 2025.
Take the County Survey
The County is conducting a 5-minute survey to help understand our priorities and perspectives regarding collaboration on sea level rise adaptation. This is a different survey than those conducted by the City of Sausalito and the Bay Conservation and Development Commission.
Your feedback will:
- Improve the County’s understanding of priorities related to collaboration.
- Shape and support the development of a county-wide governance structure.
- Inform the recommended pathway for implementing a decision-making process.
This is a chance to make the unique concerns of the floating homes community clear to our local authorities, so take the survey now.
What’s Ahead
Stakeholder engagement will continue through early 2025. Findings from stakeholder engagement will inform a draft proposal for a collaborative, multi-jurisdictional approach to sea level rise adaptation planning. This proposal will be further refined in partnership with stakeholder groups from across the county. Study findings and the final recommendations will be completed by late summer 2025.
Stay Connected
For questions, ideas, or to sign up for the County’s mailing list, contact the Marin Sea Level Rise team. You will receive email updates on a quarterly basis moving forward.