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California ports are defensing against increased flooding and sea level rise to enhance future maritime operability. The ports discussed their plans at the “Storms, Flooding and Sea Level Defense 2024 Conference” that took place on November 12th, at Oakland, California.
The conference was produced by the Propeller Club of Northern California and the Society of American Military Engineers (San Francisco Post).
Climate change is driving ports to invest in more resilient infrastructure to defend against events such as the atmospheric river that hit Port of Hueneme, located in Ventura County, California.
On December 21st, 2023 the Port was hit by 8 inches of rain in two hours.
In addition, two events hurt import shipments to the Port. One was a drought hurting blueberry shipments from Peru and a second event was hurricanes hurting Mexican banana imports, according to Kristin Decas, Executive Director, Port of Hueneme
In October, Decas said that the Port was hit with an atmospheric river of rain that destroyed the Port’s shoreside power system which had cost the Port $14 million to build. It will now need to be replaced at a cost of $40 million:
“On December 21st, 2023, we had an atmospheric river of rain come through the Port area. And … it had a very small reach, but we had three inches of rain in one hour and five inches of rain in the next hour for a total of 8 inches in two hours, just in this little area of the Port. They evacuated the Navy base (Naval Base Ventura County). We had so much water that it took out our shoreside power system, just decimated it. So, what took us so much effort to build and meet those rigorous California Air Resources Board regulations was taken out in one hour which cost us 10 years ago to build for $14 million. Today, the replacement cost is $40 million.”
Desalination and waste water treatment plants can replenish groundwater and slow the sinking of U.S. coastal cities and ports, according to Randy Truby, President, RL Truby & Associates and a former President of the International Desalination Association.
Truby was the keynote speaker at the Storms, Flooding & Sea level Defense 2024 Conference produced by the Propeller Club of Northern California and the Society of American Military Engineers that took place on November 12, 2024.
DEFENDING SINKING CITIES & PORTS
Truby spoke on the topic: “Desalination Strategies to Replenish Water Tables and Reduce Coastal Subsidence”
Truby cited an article published in the science magazine ‘NATURE’ which describes the combined impact of global sea level rise (projected 0.25-0.3 meters by 2050) and the sinking of coastal land areas (coastal subsidence).
The Virginia Tech authors of the report expressed concern that the combination of these forces will accelerate the impact of Sea Level Rise as coastal cities and communities are sinking and as sea levels rise.
The study’s authors argued for more wastewater treatment and ocean desalination to pump water back into water tables so as to slow the impact of subsidence that is sinking U.S. coastal cities and ports:
“The sea level along the US coastlines is projected to rise by 0.25–0.3 m by 2050, increasing the probability of more destructive flooding and inundation in major cities. However, these impacts may be exacerbated by coastal subsidence—the sinking of coastal land areas—a factor that is often underrepresented in coastal-management policies and long-term urban planning. In this study, we combine high-resolution vertical land motion (that is, raising or lowering of land) and elevation datasets with projections of sea-level rise to quantify the potential inundated areas in 32 major US coastal cities. Here we show that, even when considering the current coastal-defence structures, further land area of between 1,006 and 1,389 km2 is threatened by relative sea-level rise by 2050, posing a threat to a population of 55,000–273,000 people and 31,000–171,000 properties. Our analysis shows that not accounting for spatially variable land subsidence within the cities may lead to inaccurate projections of expected exposure. These potential consequences show the scale of the adaptation challenge, which is not appreciated in most US coastal cities.”
That study can be found here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07038-3
Truby noted the threat “may not be appreciated by planners and stakeholders.”
The study focused on 32 coastal cities and ports and found the sinking impact greatest among cities and ports adjoining the Gulf of Mexico.
On October 29th, American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) President & CEO Cary Davis said the AAPA continued its strong advocacy for U.S. ports and emphasized the importance of new federal renewable energy grants, totaling $2.9 billion, supporting new economic development.
Davis said: “I’m excited for all the alternative energy conversations going on because of a … announcement this morning called the EPA Clean Ports Program. Has anyone heard of that little $3 billion grant program? …. These federal monies will support the purchase of battery, electric and hydrogen powered human operated and human maintained equipment.”
Davis was speaking at The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) 2024 Convention in Boston.
In its announcement, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced 55 selected applications for nearly $3 billion in Clean Ports Program grants funded through the Inflation Reduction Act. The selected applications will fund zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure as well as climate and air quality planning at U.S. ports located in 27 states and territories.
This new funding program was built on EPA’s Ports Initiative, which helps the nation’s ports, a critical part of U.S. infrastructure and supply chain, and addresses public health and environmental impacts on surrounding communities.
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