Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sea Level Rise topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Consultants brief Kitsap Planning Commission on sea-level-rise mapping and limits
Summary
Consultants working for Kitsap County outlined a sea-level-rise vulnerability study that will map tidal surfaces over digital elevation models, identify at-risk assets and propose region-specific actions; consultants said saltwater intrusion to wells is out of scope and bulkheads should not be treated as flood protection.
Consultants from Facet and subcontractor Blue Coast presented a sea-level-rise vulnerability briefing to the Kitsap County Planning Commission on Aug. 20, 2024, describing methods and limits of a countywide mapping effort.
The presentation, introduced by Alexandra Plumb, project manager at Facet, said the study’s primary goals are to identify assets that could be lost, complete a risk analysis, and propose region-specific actions and projects. Dawn Spilsbury, Sea Level Rise Technical Lead for Facet, and Jessica Cote, Coastal Processes Lead with Blue Coast, walked commissioners through the consultant team, Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) requirements, emissions-based projection approaches, tide-gauge trends and model overlays on a digital elevation model.
Why it matters: The final product will be used to identify roads, utilities, hospitals, emergency services, schools, septic systems, wastewater-treatment plants, marinas and other assets that face inundation risk, and to inform planning and regulatory recommendations countywide.
Facet described a multi-step analytical approach. Plumb said the team will display sea-level-rise projections over a DEM, intersect those tidal surfaces with mapped resources and then quantify and rank impacts. Spilsbury summarized the asset categories the team will include: transportation corridors, hospitals and emergency services, civic utilities, on-site septic systems, wastewater treatment plants, group A wells, cultural and historic resources, parks and beach access, wetlands and estuaries, marinas and brownfield sites.
Commissioners pressed on scope and limitations. Richard Shattuck asked whether saltwater intrusion into wells is included; Spilsbury said that saltwater intrusion is not part of this analysis because it is highly site specific. Alexandra Plumb and Cote clarified that the study will map shoreline jurisdiction in Kitsap first, with cities such as Bremerton and Port Orchard to be added later, and that bulkheads should not be viewed as flood protection.
The consultants described outreach steps including a Technical Advisory Committee, a public survey, StoryMap examples and a draft/final-report timeline that extends to an estimated June 2025. The presentation referenced a required QAPP and said the team will publish draft materials for public review. The consultants asked the commission for feedback on public-survey materials and StoryMap examples.
Public comment during the meeting echoed concerns about study cost and scope. Bill Palmer, identified as president of the Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners, raised questions about the purpose and expense of studies and asked how private-property impacts would be treated. Mike Garrett later urged attention to saltwater intrusion during public comment.
Next steps: Facet will complete modeling, publish draft materials (including StoryMap and survey) and continue TAC and public outreach, with an anticipated final report and recommendations in mid-2025. The commission did not take formal action on the study at the meeting.
