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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06 - Update on 2010 Council Environmental Sustainability GoalCITY OF NEWPORT BEACH CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT Agenda Item No. 6 December 14, 2010 TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: City Manager's Office Rob Houston, Assistant to the City Manager 949/644 -3033 or rhouston @newportbeachca.gov SUBJECT: Update on 2010 Council Environmental Sustainability Goal - Responding to Future Sea Level Changes RECOMMENDATION: Receive and File. DISCUSSION: Key concept: Sea levels may rise in the future and affect coastal, low -lying properties. The City has started to research possible impacts of this and determine what actions should be taken. Summary Findings: The City of Newport Beach would be greatly impacted by a rise in sea level due to the extent of low -lying harbor frontage and coastal properties. Proactive planning is recommended to determine which areas of the City are most at risk from higher sea levels. Strategies to protect both public and private properties in the future are also recommended. This update report outlines the efforts being put forth from outside agencies as well as from City departments to address sea level change. The research conducted to date shows that the City of Newport Beach is a leader in the area of sea level change planning. Many City departments have reviewed this issue and have developed policies or potential options to move forward. In addition, a comprehensive report is under development outlining the specific impacts that sea level rise would have on the Balboa Island community. The contents of this report and a future report reviewing the rest of the low lying areas of the City will contain detail of the impacts, recommendations, and potential costs to address the threat of potential sea level rise. The below was /is a Work Plan (what Council Member Gardner called a "plan to plan" at the Council's 2010 Goal- Setting Session in January 2010) that outlines staff's approach to sea level rise: Sea Level Change Plan Update December 14, 2010 Page 2 Work Plan Process: Part 1 — Review what other coastal cities are doing to prepare — initial research taken from other Southern California Cities; such as Santa Monica, Long Beach, and Carlsbad, found that they are not currently planning to address the potential impacts of sea level. These cities are currently putting more resources into focusing on the impacts of their carbon footprint and green house gas emissions. Going forward, we will continue to review what other jurisdictions are doing to borrow good ideas and ensure collaboration where appropriate. Part 2 — Review what the Coastal Commission is recommending - no specific reports or recommendations in regard to sea level rise are noted at this time. Going forward, we will review Commission actions, if any, and update our own approach. Part 3 — Review what the State Legislature is doing — The State of California has declared its desire to be a national leader in climate change action through the AB 32 legislation passed several years ago. However, additional guidelines that would provide specific direction to the broad, high -level direction of AB 32 have not been developed. On November 14, 2008, the Governor issued Executive Order S -13 -08 that called for a coordinated effort by State agencies to develop a consistent planning strategy to address climate change and sea level rise. This order stipulates: The California Resources Agency shall request that the final Sea Level Rise Assessment Report be completed as soon as possible but no later than December 1, 2010. The final Sea Level Rise Assessment Report will advise how California should plan for future sea level rise. The report should include: (1) relative sea level rise projections specific to California, taking into account issues such as coastal erosion rates, tidal impacts, El Nino and La Nina events, storm surge and land subsidence rates; (2) the range of uncertainty in selected sea level rise projections; (3) a synthesis of existing information on projected sea level rise impacts to state infrastructure (such as roads, public facilities and beaches), natural areas, and coastal and marine ecosystems; and (4) a discussion of future research needs regarding sea level rise for California. This Agency report is not yet available to the public, but will be reviewed by City staff to determine what recommendations it contains. Attempts to pass legislation to direct action on sea level rise to date not succeeded. During the last legislative session, AB 2598 was put forward and would have required trustees of granted public trust lands to take all reasonable actions to prepare for sea level rise. It would have required that the plan include, among other things, an assessment of the impact of sea level rise on granted public trust lands, an estimate of the financial cost of this impact, and strategies to prevent or mitigate damage to development and infrastructure and to protect and enhance habitat. This bill did not Sea Level Change Plan Update December 14, 2010 Page 3 pass out of the Senate Appropriations Committee and was placed on the Suspense File, where it died as the legislative session ended. Going forward, we will use the League of California Cities and the Coastal Coalition to ensure that we're aware of any future action by the Legislature or Governor Brown related to sea level rise. Part 4 — Summarize the plans currently under development at the City of Newport Beach There is a significant amount of effort going on within the City to plan for the potential impacts of sea level change. This work is spread across many City departments and a listing of these efforts follows: • Harbor Resources Division — Recently created the waterfront project guideline document that outlines the work the City has done to review the impacts of any potential sea level rise. A list of "Potential Steps Forward" was created and is attached as an exhibit to this report. • Harbor Resources Division — The Harbor Area Management Plan contains a November 2008 report (in Appendix H of the plan) that contains extensive survey data of the harbor area including highlighting low lying areas of the City most at risk if sea levels were to increase. • Public Works Department (PW) — A consultant is currently finalizing a report outlining the effect that a rise in sea level would have on Balboa Island. The Island is a very low lying land mass with a seawall that surrounds it. The consultant's report will outline recommendations for maintaining and /or improving the existing sea wall. It will also model impacts of potential sea level rise and high tides and storm waves. This report should also serve as a template for a second report that will address the remainder of the City's low -lying areas. • PW has adopted a policy to make any new or refurbished bulkheads 1.5 feet higher than the original bulkhead height (bulkheads are the concrete structures at the road ends where they meet the harbor). This increase in height is a proactive step to prepare for the possibility of an increase in sea level in the future. • PW currently installs and replaces tide valves around the harbor as needed (the Municipal Operations Department maintains these tide valves). Staff is looking into options to automate the operation of the valves to reduce the labor required to manually close all of the valves every time there is a high -tide event. • With Council's support during budget adoption, PW staff has an ongoing beach replenishment program that involves monitoring beach width to ensure that erosion is repaired and coastal structures are protected from high tides and storm events. • Planning staff included a section in the Hazards Assessment Study Plan that discusses sea level rise impacts and outlines possible options to react to sea level rise. • Building Department — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) produces flood area maps periodically and uses its analysis to mandate the base flood elevation that the City adopts as its minimum top slab elevation for any new or substantial improvement construction. The latest map, issued in December 2009, increased the base flood elevation to 9.0 feet above mean sea level. The City Sea Level Change Plan Update December 14, 2010 Page 4 subsequently increased the City's code from the old height of 8.67 to the 9.0 level. This will raise future construction heights and becomes another response to mitigating potential sea level increases in the future. In addition, the Coastal Land Use Plan of the City's Local Coastal Program contains a number of policies to address sea level rise and coastal erosion. A list of these policies is attached as an exhibit. Council comments, if any, are welcomed on this overall path towards addressing sea level rise. A study session and /or formal Council Policy may be in order to ensure a consistent approach to the issue over time. Submitted by: Rob Houston Assistant to the City Manager Attachments: 1. Harbor Management Plan —Sea Level Control and Flood Management Section - April 2010 — Potential Steps forward 2. Local Coastal Plan — Coastal Erosion and Sea Level Rise Policies Sea Level Change Plan Update December 14, 2010 Page 5 Attachment 1 From the Harbor Management Plan —Sea Level Control and Flood Management Section — April 2010 Potential Steps Forward The purpose of the assessment is to address the City's challenge of flood vulnerability using predictive models and evaluation of existing flood protection. Based on this vulnerability assessment, management potential measures can be implemented to better prepare for future extreme high tides that are integrated into the overall HAMP program. The potential steps forward include: Coastal Flooding Condition Monitoring Program Implementation A potential step forward is creating a monitoring system for environmental conditions that effect coastal flooding. This system could improve the City's emergency response to flooding and help staff to prioritize and guide infrastructure improvement efforts (e.g sand replenishment). Database of Public and Private Flood Controls The City should consider creating and maintaining a database, which is integrated into the City GIS, of public and private flood control infrastructure, and implementing a monitoring system to track key factors that bear on flood control. This data can then be used to update the flood models to be used to evaluate the benefit of the proposed flood control measures. The City should also consider obtaining through a registered surveyor the precise elevations of the bulkheads. Legal and Policy Framework for Bulkhead Improvements An additional potential step forward is exploring the legal and policy framework that would allow for more systematic improvement of the condition and continuity of the bulkheads (both public and private) in the future. Flood Risk Management Plan The City should consider developing and adopting a flood risk management plan for the Harbor before moving forward with any major efforts to improve flood control infrastructure (e.g. raise bulk heads). This plan would consider the economic, environmental and social consequences of flooding to identify the most optimal structural and non - structural measures for implementation. Impact of Waves on Flooding A final potential step forward is the examination of the impact of waves on flooding. Based on preliminary assessment data, it is not clear that there is adequate protection against the combined effects of an extreme high tide and ocean waves typical of storm conditions. Such a study could be used to guide future sand replenishment efforts. Sea Level Change Plan Update December 14, 2010 Page 6 Attachment 2 From the Local Coastal Plan — Coastal Erosion and Sea Level Rise Policies Policies: 2.8.6 -1. Prepare and periodically update comprehensive studies of seasonal and long- term shoreline change, episodic and chronic bluff retreat, flooding, and local changes in sea levels, and other coastal hazard conditions. 2.8.6 -2. Continue to monitor beach width and elevations and analyze monitoring data to establish approximate thresholds for when beach erosion or deflation will reach a point that it could expose the backshore development to flooding or damage from storm waves. 2.8.6 -3. Develop and implement a comprehensive beach replenishment program to assist in maintaining beach width and elevations. Analyze monitoring data to determine nourishment priorities, and try to use nourishment as shore protection, in lieu of more permanent hard shoreline armoring options. 2.8.6 -4. Maintain existing groin fields and jetties and modify as necessary to eliminate or mitigate adverse effects on shoreline processes. 2.8.6 -5. Permit revetments, breakwaters, groins, harbor channels, seawalls, cliff retaining walls and other structures altering natural shoreline processes or retaining walls when required to serve coastal- dependent uses or to protect existing principal structures or public beaches in danger from erosion and when designed to eliminate or mitigate adverse impacts on local shoreline sand supply, unless a waiver of future shoreline protection was required by a previous coastal development permit. 2.8.6 -6. Design and site protective devices to minimize impacts to coastal resources, minimize alteration of natural shoreline processes, provide for coastal access, minimize visual impacts, and eliminate or mitigate adverse impacts on local shoreline sand supply- 2.8.6-7. Discourage shoreline protective devices on public land to protect private property /development. Site and design any such protective devices as far landward as possible. Such protective devices may be considered only after hazard avoidance, restoration of the sand supply, beach nourishment and planned retreat are exhausted as possible alternatives. 2.8.6 -8. Limit the use of protective devices to the minimum required to protect existing development and prohibit their use to enlarge or expand areas for new development or Sea Level Change Plan Update December 14, 2010 Page 7 for new development. "Existing development' for purposes of this policy shall consist only of a principle structure, e.g. residential dwelling, required garage, or second residential unit, and shall not include accessory or ancillary structures such as decks, patios, pools, tennis courts, cabanas, stairs, landscaping etc. 2.8.6 -9. Require property owners to record a waiver of future shoreline protection for new development during the economic life of the structure (75 years) as a condition of approval of a coastal development permit for new development on a beach, shoreline, or bluff that is subject to wave action, erosion, flooding, landslides, or other hazards associated with development on a beach or bluff. Shoreline protection may be permitted to protect existing structures that were legally constructed prior to the certification of the LCP, unless a waiver of future shoreline protection was required by a previous coastal development permit. 2.8.6 -10. Site and design new structures to avoid the need for shoreline and bluff protective devices during the economic life of the structure (75 years). Local Coastal Program Coastal Land Use Plan 2 -62 and 63