The SAFER Bay Project
Strategy to Advance Flood protection, Ecosystems and Recreation along San Francisco Bay
The SAFER Bay Project is a multi-benefit, multi-jurisdictional, public-private collaboration that will protect critical infrastructure, provide community resilience to current tidal flooding and projected sea level rise, and improve recreational access, using both engineered structures and nature-based flood protection.
Feasibility studies were completed in 2016 for East Palo Alto and Menlo Park, and in 2019 for Palo Alto. The Feasibility Studies were funded by a grant from the Department of Water Resources, with match from each of our member cities. Other funders were Midpeninsula Open Space District and Facebook (now Meta).
The project is using the Bay Adapt Joint Platform for implementation and is the first large project to do so. This is a consensus-based regional strategy to protect people and the natural and built environment from rising sea levels that will enable successful adaptation outcomes throughout the nine county Bay Area.
The Dumbarton Bridge/Highway 84 Corridor with over 80,000 vehicle trips per day bisects the SAFER Bay project area. A future upgrade of the Dumbarton Bridge /Highway 84 Corridor by Caltrans is envisioned for long term shoreline resiliency and community protection.
The SFCJPA has continued engagement with Caltrans District 4, and this collaboration has resulted in Caltrans approval of internal funding in 2022 for a Project Study Report-Project Development Support (PSR/PDS) within Caltrans’ right-of-way for the SAFER Bay Project as a first step to enable future Caltrans program funding.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND EQUITY
The communities of Belle Haven in Menlo Park and the City of East Palo Alto are vulnerable to flooding today from a 100-year tide event and will face greater flood risk in the future. Protecting these communities is a priority of the SAFER Bay project.
SAFER Bay has partnered with community-based organizations Climate Resilient Communities and Nuestra Casa for sustained outreach using the Bay Adapt Joint Platform. A citizen’s advisory committee meets to shape the SAFER Bay project into a flood risk solution that they want in their community.
We have also partnered with Grassroots Ecology for educational outreach and have held two outreach events, with a third planned for this fall to highlight SAFER restoration activities.
Sea Level Rise –
SAFER’s design criteria for flood protection accommodates the 100-year coastal flood event, FEMA freeboard, and up to 3.5 feet of projected sea level rise.
SAFER Bay is consistent with our member agency San Mateo County Flood and Sea Level Rise Resiliency District (OneShoreline) draft Planning Policy Guidance that was adopted by their Board in June 2023 for San Mateo County’s bayside shoreline.
The project will enable the restoration of rare and historic habitats in former salt ponds using nature-based solutions and the best available science. This will include habitat restoration and enhancement for several federally threatened and endangered wildlife species.
SAFER Bay is working in coordination with other Bay Area shoreline flood risk mitigation planning and implementation projects, including the State Coastal Conservancy, SFEI, BayCAN and many others.
The SAFER Bay project will enhance public recreation opportunities by creating new access and improved levee-top bicycle and pedestrian trails on the existing Bay Trail and connection network.
Protecting Infrastructure –
The SAFER Bay project will protect critical water and energy infrastructure, including:
City and County of San Francisco’s Hetch Hetchy water transmission pipelines to the Bay Tunnel and appurtenances at their Ravenswood facilities, with water service to 26 cities and 2.4 million water customers, and
Ravenswood and Cooley Landing Electrical Substations serving more than 300,000 customers throughout the Peninsula.
PROJECT STATUS
We are developing the needed technical studies and engineering designs that will be incorporated into a draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that is planned to be released in 2025. The EIR will be both programmatic and project level for Reaches South of Bay Road in East Palo Alto and for tidal restoration and/or managed pond enhancement of Ponds R1, R2, and SF2.
We are also conducting scientific evaluations to inform the SAFER Bay design, including the recently completed Draft Refugial Habitat Assessment that can serve as a model for other areas of the Bay. The competitively bid design team is led by HDR Engineering, with ESA and H.T. Harvey as key team members.
Project Documents
The SFCJPA’s responses to comments received on the SAFER Bay Notice of Preparation (NOP) are available here: Scoping Report, October 31, 2022
All comments received on the SAFER Bay Notice of Preparation (NOP) are available here: NOP Comment Log, Compiled.
SAFER Bay Notice of Preparation (NOP) Scoping Meeting Presentation Slides from May 19, 2022 public meeting.
SAFER Bay Project Notice of Preparation SCH # 2022040504
SAFER Bay Project Updated Figures and Cross-sections (May 6, 2022)
Safer Bay Project DRAFT Community Outreach Plan (Feb. 22, 2022) - Public comments are welcome!
Logo of the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority
Logo of the California Department of Water Resources
Webpage last updated on October 10, 2023
SAFER Bay Project Area and preliminary map of levee alignments from the Notice of Preparation.
The SAFER Bay Project has received two significant grants from the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority (SFBRA): one for $1M and the second for $3.8M. These grants will enable the project to complete the project EIR, including necessary studies and preliminary designs. Funds from the region-wide Measure AA parcel tax assessment are enabling restoration and sea level resilience projects - like SAFER Bay - across the Bay Area. The SFCJPA is grateful for the community support that enables Measure AA and for the support for the SAFER Bay Project from the SFBRA.
The California Department of Water Resources has provided a grant through Proposition 84 funding for $1.04 Million dollars, with East Palo Alto providing over $400,000 in local match. This funding has been instrumental in implementing early studies and work needed for the CEQA process.
The City of East Palo Alto has been awarded a $17.5 Million dollar CalOES/FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) grant. The City of East Palo Alto provided local match required for this grant. The HMGP program provides funding to state, local, tribal and territorial governments so they can build or rebuild in a way that reduces future disaster losses in their communities. This grant funding is available after a presidentially declared disaster. This funding will support a portion of the construction costs for East Palo Alto.
The City of Menlo Park has been awarded a FEMA Building Resilient Communities and Infrastructure (BRIC) grant for $50Million dollars, with almost $20Million in local match contributed by Facebook(now META) and PG&E. The FEMA BRIC grant will support a