SLR-02

Support and Monitor Ongoing Analysis of Sea-Level Rise Data

Implementation

  • Support and monitor ongoing collection and analysis of sea-level rise, storm surge, and tidal data by existing institutions, including, but not limited to, FEMA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.​

  • ​Support research and analysis of saltwater intrusion and degraded water quality in the Sacramento River, as well as in surrounding freshwater inlets and wells, as a result of sea-level rise.

Benefits: Gathering information on sea-level rise effects on Sacramento County (e.g., saltwater intrusion) would help the County and local water districts prepare for potentially more adverse hydrologic and water quality conditions.

​Timeframe: Ongoing​


​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Started

The efforts for this measure have started.​


​Status of Implementation

The Sacramento County Water Agency (SCWA) continually monitors Water Supply System vulnerabilities. This can come in the form of political/legal issues, structural issues, contamination issues, or climate issues. SCWA, with the help of West Yost, has developed a tool to better predict water supply availability into the future using CalSIM as a base. SCWA is developing another RFP to update its Master Plan where outputs from this tool will be implemented into overall project delivery.

On a regional level, SCWA (one of 26 purveyors in Sacramento County) works with the Regional Water Authority to ensure water supply sustainability. Through RWA, SCWA is working with t​he State on the Voluntary Agreement process. RWA has developed the Regional Water Reliability Plan (RWRP) and Regional Drought Contingency Plan (RDCP) which are closely related planning efforts to evaluate the vulnerabilities of the water resources of the region and to identify the most promising opportunities to improve long-term water supply reliability at the agency, sub-regional, and regional levels. 

Two outcomes of the RWA planning efforts are the Groundwater Bank and the RiverArc project. SCWA participates in each of these projects to help ensure water supply resilience.

The River Arc project is described here: RiverArc Project
The Groundwater Bank is described here: Sacramento Regional Water Bank – A Sustainable Storage and Recovery Program (sacwaterbank.com)

Additionally, SCWA and the Planning and Environmental Review Division of the Community Development Department are collaborative partners representing the County in the Water Forum 2.0 Project.  This is the successor effort to the existing Water Forum Agreement and seeks to develop the next agreement which considers water supply constraints related to climate change and adaptation.   

 Updated on 11/29/23