Contra Costa County has been awarded $1,499,285 from the California Ocean Protection Council’s Senate Bill 1 Sea Level Rise Adaptation Planning Grant Program. This program is designed to support coastal communities in developing sea level rise adaptation plans to enhance resilience along California’s coast and the San Francisco Bay.
The funding will be used to develop the Contra Costa Resilient Shoreline Plan, a comprehensive, community-driven initiative to address sea level rise along the county’s 90-mile shoreline. This plan will coordinate local efforts with Bay Conservation and Development Commission guidelines and explore both natural and constructed infrastructure improvements.
A key component of the plan is a participatory community engagement campaign and visioning process. The plan will also include updates to the county’s existing vulnerability assessments, adaptation pathways, implementation actions, partnership needs, financing strategies, and metrics.
“By preparing the Contra Costa Resilient Shoreline Plan now, the county is taking the initiative to become safer and more resilient to flooding and sea level rise. It costs more to do nothing, as shown in the MTC/ABAG/BCDC study. The funding from the state’s Ocean Protection Council will help our county build on regional progress and continue to be a leader as the Bay Area works to adapt to sea level rise,” said District 1 Supervisor John Gioia, Chair of the Resilient Shoreline Committee.
“This grant funding will provide an essential foundation to create consistent sea level rise planning across the county, from the San Francisco Bay to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. It will include cities, special districts, community and environmental-based organizations, and the public, to protect our shoreline communities in the face of extreme weather. We know that it will take a coalition of partners to respond effectively, and that is our plan,” said District 3 Supervisor Diane Burgis, Vice Chair of the Resilient Shoreline Committee.
Contra Costa County’s grant is one of seven awarded across California, totaling $5,614,785, approved by the Ocean Protection Council on June 4, 2024.
