Lake County presents draft Climate Adaptation Plan; board raises concerns about funding, zoning and groundwater

County staff and consultants briefed the Lake County Board of Supervisors on an update to the draft Climate Adaptation Plan (CAP), summarizing a completed climate vulnerability analysis and proposed resilience strategies organized around the county—s adopted pillars of landscape resilience.

The presentation, led by Jacqueline Protsman Rohrer of PlaceWorks with county staff, described a process funded in part by a California adaptation planning grant and coordinated with the Lake County Resource Conservation District and the Office of Climate Resiliency. The vulnerability analysis assessed 91 population groups and community assets for exposure to eight climate hazards and found wildfire and smoke produced the most widespread vulnerabilities across sectors.

The CAP is intended as a long-range, living document to inform the Lake County 2050 general plan update and other implementation tools. It organizes resilience work under 10 pillars including air quality, water security, forest resilience and fire-adapted communities and lists goals, strategies and implementable actions with named responsible agencies, estimated timeframes and potential funding sources. The project team said the grant-funded work must wrap up before a January 30 grant deadline and that a public draft will follow tribal review and additional outreach.