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Sea Level Rise . and Los Angeles Beth Jines , Director of Sustainability Office of the Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa. CONTEXT: CITY OF LOS ANGELES. more than 4 million people 470 square miles The footprint of the City of Los Angeles can accommodate 7 7 major American cities
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Sea Level Rise and Los Angeles Beth Jines, Director of Sustainability Office of the Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa
CONTEXT: CITY OF LOS ANGELES more than 4 million people 470 square miles The footprint of the City of Los Angeles can accommodate 7 7 major American cities and Manhattan
Areas Affected by SLR • Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach • Coastal Wastewater Treatment and Energy Generation Facilities • Coastal Infrastructure • Tourism
Needs • Collaboration among Researchers on SLR Planning Range • Form your own version of the IPCC – Consensus is important • Community Design Standards • Short and long term, that can be used by Planning Agencies • Armament Design and Engineering • We are not going to be able to move everything • Damage and Cost Estimates • Include cost of doing nothing • Retreat and Abandonment • If areas are abandoned, how to abandon to minimize environ degradation • Effects on Water Supply • What is affect of SLR on Salt water intrusion barrier interface? • Create a sense of Urgency
Ports ISSUE: • SLR and bridges – will ships be able to access the Ports • Innundation during stom surges or high tide • Have not focused on SLR for design until this year • Damage to ground-level facilities and toxic-waste storage sites ACTION: • RAND study to examine SLR scenarios • Have begun raising the height of some docks • Vulnerability Assessment done by end of 2010 • Then Adaptation planning
Coastal Plants ISSUE: • Facility flooding due to elevation and SLR • Storm surges may overwhelm systems/facilities leading to discharges of untreated waste • Facilities and pits and ponds may be underwater • Outfall maybe affected – tidal gates may need to be redesigned and relocated ACTION: • Adaptation Modeling
Wastewater Treatment Plants Two Coastal Waste Water Treatment Plants – Hyperion and Terminal Island Water Reclamation Plant • Serve 4 million people; Average Flow: 450 - 500 MGD; 5 Mile outfall to Santa Monica Bay at Hyperion
Energy Generation Facilities Scattergood Energy Plant and Harbor Generating Station • Next to Hyperion • Scattergood Elevation 14 ft. • Sumps and basement area elevations at 4ft., already flood during high tides and storm surges.
Infrastructure • Pacific Coast Highway undermined or flooded • Coastal Sewers innundated • Storm Drains and stormwater collection systems innundated • Pipelines undermined • Salt Water Intrusion Barrier failure • Salinity increase in Water Supply
Tourism • Tourism and beach use is very important to the region • Significant Financial Damage • Sand Loss • Loss of beach front properties and businesses • Storm Surges • Surfing – better or worse? • Pier Destruction • Wetland loss • Cooling Areas