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Sea Level Rise Report Warns Rising Waters Will Inundate Marin Coastal Areas

SAN RAFAEL (CBS SF) - A report on the threat of sea level rise (SLR) presented to Marin County supervisors on Tuesday stressed there is no one-size-fits all solution to what has been called "a slow moving disaster."

The presentation was an update on the Marin Bay Waterfront Adaptation Vulnerability
Evaluation, also known as BayWAVE, which since 2015 has studied the impact of SLR on private and public lands.

Among the key messages at Tuesday's meeting was the reiteration that rising waters will inundate Marin's coastal areas, as much as 3 feet in some areas.

A BayWAVE map shows the areas most vulnerable to flood risk along the Marin shoreline, and stretches from the Golden Gate Bridge past the Novato County line.

The threat of SLR affects several cities, districts and jurisdictions, so "a single solution doesn't exist, and a creative all-in approach to adaptation is critical."

The report also highlighted SLR's impact on transportation and links to wildfire danger and stressed BayWAVE successes like the Highway 1 Tam Valley Grant.

Board President, Supervisor Kate Sears praised the county's adaptation efforts to address SLR, thus far.

"We're in Year 2 of the BayWAVE project, and I think the impacts have been terrific," Sears said in a press release. "A lot of it is collaboration between departments within the County but also with the cities and town and agencies around Marin. It's been an invaluable experience, and we appreciate everyone's engagement."

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