Benicia Web page solicits public input on strategies for adaptation

A Web page that lets the public review documents related to the city’s vulnerability to climate change, and to weigh in on the topics, is now launched, Climate Action Plan Coordinator Alex Porteshawver said.

The Open Town Hall Web address is www.peakdemocracy.com/portals/203/2343.

“The city of Benicia was awarded a Coastal Conservancy grant to conduct a vulnerability assessment and develop an adaptation plan,” Porteshawver noted.

Under that $150,000 grant, both residents and consultants have identified certain sites in Benicia that might be vulnerable to the effects of higher temperatures, rising sea levels and increased flooding during storms, all anticipated effects of climate change, she said.

Those effects could impact the city’s economic vitality and local ecology, Porteshawver said.

Benicia conducted a workshop Nov. 20 in which residents learned more about the goals of the grant-funded project, as well as what in Benicia could be harmed by rising water. They also heard some ways the damage could be averted.

The website has been established so those who attended the workshop can provide additional comments, and to advise and hear from those who were unable to attend, Porteshawver said.

Once on the Web page, she said, residents can “review project documents and goals, and rank strategies, make individual comments, or even suggest we add or delete a strategy.”

The Open Town Hall, an online forum, also lets visitors see what others are saying about the topic, as well as post their own comments.

According to the site, despite local and worldwide efforts to reduce carbon emissions, projections are that within 40 years Benicia’s weather might resemble that in Atlanta, Ga. — and in 75 years, that of Miami, Fla., or Memphis, Tenn. — and cause such health problems as extreme heat and poor air quality.

Of the list of 13 areas that could be damaged or compromised by sea level rise or coastal flooding are Benicia homes and businesses, the Wastewater Treatment Plant, Benicia State Recreation Area and other parks, Suisun Marsh, the Waterfront Park Marsh and Sulphur Springs Creek.

Also listed as vulnerable are the Benicia Marina, the Port of Benicia, Benicia Industrial Park’s roads, the downtown shopping area’s streets and Benicia’s storm drain system.

Homes, businesses, city properties, schools, and energy and communication systems also could be harmed by temperature increases, the site notes.

Among suggested ways to deal with higher water levels are levees, elevated roadways and an upgraded stormwater system, as well as restoring disturbed marsh areas, marsh migration inland, better planning among agencies, natural drainage and increased flood protection in new development, and building higher wastewater plant flood walls.

Cooling landscaping, better preparedness training and stocking supplies for emergency response could help deal with temperature increases, the site indicates.

“City officials will read the statements and incorporate them into their decision process,” the Web page promises.

The page is operated by Peak Democracy, a nonpartisan company, Porteshawver said. Participation in the forum is voluntary.

She said those interested can respond to the original workshop itself, or to the vulnerability assessment’s goals and strategies.

“Community input is key to developing a plan that will make Benicia more resilient,” Porteshawver said.