Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District and Solano County
The Solano Bayshore region faces significant flood risks from rising sea levels, groundwater, and intensified storms. Solano County’s Shoreline Adaptation Plan relies on an adaptation pathways approach, with near term actions to address high priority coastal flood risk and community benefits. This comprehensive planning effort will help Solano County and regional partners build resilience to coastal flooding and sea level rise impacts while prioritizing nature-based solutions and equitable community outcomes.
This project brings together municipalities, community-based organizations, resource managers, and residents to collaboratively identify vulnerabilities and develop adaptation strategies that protect both people and ecosystems. The effort centers on the Suisun Marsh, the largest remaining wetland around San Francisco Bay, and the low-lying communities of Vallejo, Fairfield, Suisun City, and Benicia, including 13 state-designated disadvantaged census tracts.
Pathways Climate Institute is currently leading the vulnerability assessment while providing technical expertise and guidance across other technical tasks to align with BCDC’s Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan process. The vulnerability assessment involved a comprehensive exposure analysis with a variety of assets across different sectors. Pathways developed a dashboard to present exposure findings across these datasets for six sea level rise scenarios. In addition to the technical analysis, the Pathways team is conducting a stakeholder workshop to receive input on priority areas and the cascading consequences in each area.