“Water doesn’t really care about jurisdictional boundaries.”

Those words from Seattle Public Utilities senior climate adaption policy advisor Ann Grodnik-Nagle   landed with quiet conviction among the packed room of coastal practitioners, gathered for a One Ocean Week event hosted by the Washington Coastal Hazards Resilience Network and the City of Seattle.  Sheltered from the drizzly October weather inside the spacious Mithun headquarters, this collection of climate-minded professionals was eager to discuss an immediate reality: rapidly rising sea levels that exacerbate coastal hazards in Washington.

Outside the window, the Salish Sea, one of the world’s most vibrant and biologically diverse inland seas, lapped insistently at the pier pilings, a steady reminder of the stakes. All were drawn together to address a straightforward question, “How do we keep our communities safe as sea levels rise?”

For a seemingly simple question, the answers are incredibly varied.

Washington has experienced a relatively low rate of sea level rise – about 6-8 inches between 1900 and 2018 —   compared to other U.S. coastlines such as the coast along the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, where the same amount of rise has occurred just since 1970.

However, as Dr. Ian Miller, a coastal hazard specialist at Washington Sea Grant put it, “Sea level rise impacts are not created equally.” It all comes down to flood risk.

Recent studies have shown that while it takes about eight inches of rise to double the flood frequency on the Gulf Coast it only takes around two inches in Washington. This finding was exemplified after storms and coastal flooding rocked Puget Sound on Dec. 27, 2022 and coincided with winter King Tides.  Cars were submerged, electrical fires sparked, local streets and some highways were temporarily engulfed, and many families were left wading through pools of water in their own homes.

According to Dr. Miller, the record-breaking coastal water levels associated with this destructive flood would have been exceedingly unlikely without those few millimeters of sea level rise annually. As Lara Whitely Binder, climate preparedness program manager for King County put it, “the scale of the problem is big, and the scale of the problem is now.”

This problem is complex. After all, how does one keep the ocean out when it wants in?  But the lineup of speakers tackling this issue from a multitude of angles transformed a daunting challenge into a hopeful and positive conversation about how to go about addressing some of these issues.

In Seattle alone, a powerful collection of resilience projects has emerged. King County’s freshly adopted 2025-2030 Strategic Climate Action Plan sets a clear five-year roadmap that includes six new sea level rise actions. It outlines goals to explore multi-benefit, locally specific solutions to protect communities such as helping neighbors raise their homes above flood risk zones or relocating septic systems back from the shoreline. King County also intends to help secure funding for equitable, community-centered projects in the Duwamish River watershed where the impacts of sea level rise are disproportionately felt.

The communities of South Park and Georgetown in the Duwamish Valley are bearing the brunt of flood impacts associated with rising sea levels and more intense winter storms. Flooding risks in this area are disproportionally exacerbated by an inundation of industries along the Duwamish River that create impermeable surfaces and worsen flooding. For years, residents’ homes, schools and businesses have flooded, making daily life harder and revealing gaps in how coastal flood management strategies account for community experiences. The December 2022 flood event displaced 30 families, some of whom have yet to return home. The Duwamish River Community Coalition is working to uplift these community members and their voices.  In partnership with the University of Washington, the coalition has launched the Living with Water project, a sea level rise adaptation visioning effort, co-created with community members through interviews, workshops, and focus groups. This will ensure local voices guide flood adaptation strategies.

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is partnering with communities to address many environmental hazards in the form of water.  Working alongside community members, SPU is co-developing a 50-year plan to design stormwater drainage and wastewater conveyance systems that protect not only our waterways, but the people who rely on them. Through a project called Shape Our Water, SPU listened to what matters most to underrepresented communities, artists, grassroots organizers, youth, and Seattle communities at large. Together, they shaped a community vision, exploring ideas and stormwater harvesting and new climate resilience job opportunities. Additionally, Seattle Public Utilities has formed the Duwamish Valley Water Resilience Program, focused on holistic, community-centered solutions to flood management, sea level rise adaptation, and water quality in the South Park and Georgetown neighborhoods.

Similarly, the Port of Seattle is working to create a more resilient drainage system. Managing a whopping 1,000 acres of paved surfaces, the Maritime Port processes an annual 1.2 billion gallons of stormwater runoff. Rising seas threaten the 72 miles of critical drainage pipes and other infrastructure that treats polluted stormwater before it enters local waterways. The Port is currently at work stabilizing these pipes to withstand increased strain.

Zooming out to a statewide lens, the Washington Department of Ecology is in the process of updating the implementing rules for the Shoreline Management Act to include essential sea level rise planning requirements. These requirements will guide local governments to identify vulnerable shorelines and include development policies and regulations to address the impacts of sea level rise and storms in their Shoreline Master Programs.

Clearly, a lot of these projects address similar challenges. Ecology coastal planner Henry Bell noted that events like this, “start the spark of collaboration when you see how [other organizations] are approaching common issues.” But equally important is the feeling that events like this inspire. Ann Grodnik-Nagle emphasized that, “This meeting makes me feel in community and [reminds me that] there’s a great team of amazing individuals, organizations, and entities thinking about this. That gives me hope. This is fuel.”  That energy was tangible as the hubbub of chatter rose at the end of the event. People asked for brainstorming help, caught up about frustrations, and planned new collaborations on the spot.  In fact, this was an opportunity for some peers who had been in partnership for many years to meet in person for the first time. As Phil North, a Conservation Scientist with the Tulalip Tribes explained, “The reason that I came is because there are people that I have been working with for years and have never met in person. We’ve met over video call innumerable times, [but this] is what builds that community that makes it much more personal.”

Sea level rise and the resulting hazards is a change that we can’t face as individuals. It will take collaboration, flexibility, and momentum to address rising tides, but we are ready for the responsibility. To learn about future coastal hazards events, funding opportunities and collaboration opportunities in Washington, sign up for Coastal Hazards Resilience Network (CHRN) listserv. Communities are counting on us to work together.

By Ruby DiCarlo