Purpose
To remove the lagoon area of Bay Farm Island from the FEMA 100-year floodplain; bolster the northern shoreline and Bay Trail from erosion; enhance shoreline habitat with nature-based solutions; enhance public recreation, including improvements to the San Francisco Bay Trail.
Project Area
Bay Farm Island's northern shoreline for the near-term project and the entire Bay Farm Island for the long-term strategy, in concert with the Alameda Shoreline Adaptation Plan.
Existing Conditions
Current FEMA flood maps show the northern shoreline of Bay Farm Island as an entry point for coastal flooding at the 100-year flood event. An existing aged concrete seawall protects lower magnitude flood events from entering Veterans Court from the Bay. The top of the seawall is at a lower elevation than the 100-year event. Many properties on Bay Farm Island are lower in elevation than the northern shoreline and would be potentially subject to flooding in the event of over topping or failure.
Expected future conditions with sea level rise
The northern shoreline area already is experiencing erosion by wave action. The rate of sea level rise is dependent on global carbon dioxide emissions and other factors so it is not possible to determine exactly when the Bay will rise by a certain amount. Areas along the northern shoreline of Bay Farm Island are likely to over top due to sea level rise. Over topping is linked to projected inundation that is expected to extend into the adjacent neighborhood.
