Sea Level Rise Case Studies

This page contains excerpts from several sea level rise-related case studies. Visit the “sea level rise” tab on the Coastal Hazards Risk Reduction Project Mapper to read the full case studies and view additional projects. Each case study on the Project Mapper contains lessons learned and contact information for a project lead to reach out to with questions.

Island County Sea Level Rise Strategy Study → Read the full case study on CHRN here

Island County organized interdepartmental and community workshops on sea level rise and worked with Washington Sea Grant and graduate students at the University of Washington to conduct a Sea Level Rise Strategy Study that provided two seperate elements: 1) best practices for sea level rise adaptation and 2) a community-based resilience planning framework.

Island County also hired a consultant to prepare a Sea Level Rise Monitoring Report to create a framework for monitoring sea level rise. The Report establishes data collection timelines and sets thresholds for eventual sea level rise. When these thresholds are reached, the County will hold discussions for reevaluating their sea level rise planning approach.

The workshops, strategy study, and monitoring report were used to inform Island County’s Shoreline Master Program periodic review and will continue to be used by the County and its community members into the future.

Owen Beach Site Design & Planning → Read the full case study on the Project Mapper

Metro Parks Tacoma received a grant to rebuild the popular Owen Beach at Point Defiance Park, but realized that they also needed to consider sea level rise in their planning process to ensure the park’s longevity. Working closely with Washington Sea Grant, the Washington State Department of Ecology, the UW Climate Impacts Group, and others, Metro Parks Tacoma reevaluated their initial design and incorporated the latest sea level rise projections to make Owens Beach a more resilient, sustainable, and natural space.

The video below describes how the 2018 sea level rise projections were used to inform the park’s design. After determining their acceptable level of risk and the life span and time frame for the infrastructure, the park planners elected to plan for 2.5 feet of sea level rise as well as additional storm surge. The video is presented by Nicole Faghin of Washington Sea Grant.

Sea Level Rise Risk Area for Vashon-Maury Island → Read the full case study on the Project Mapper

Using the existing topography and the latest sea level rise projections developed by the Washington Coastal Resilience Project, King County created a newly designated Sea Level Rise Risk Area (SLR RA) for Vashon-Maury Island that extends inland from the edge of the existing 100-year floodplain. Under these regulations, new homes built in the SLR RA are now also required to be built three feet above the 100-year base flood elevation and to comply with a number of other floodplain regulations related to home construction.

Waypoint Park: Restoration along the Bellingham Waterfront → Read the full case study on the Project Mapper

The Waypoint Park beach project restored a long-underutilized portion of downtown Bellingham’s waterfront district to provide public access to the water and benefit fish and bird species through the creation of potential forage fish spawning habitat and small native backshore vegetation areas. The project also accommodates 2.4 feet of sea level rise projected for the area by building a resilient beach structure to withstand waves and high water. Waypoint Park was awarded one of “America’s Best Restored Beaches” by The American Shore and Beach Preservation Association in 2019.

Planning for Sea Level Rise in Downtown Olympia → Read the full case study on the Project Mapper

The Olympia Sea Level Rise Response Plan was completed in March 2019. This Plan identifies needs for protecting the downtown, risks, uncertainties, private and public costs, funding, and a response that can be implemented incrementally and modified as new information emerges. A new interlocal agreement establishing the long-term governance structure for the Response Plan is expected to be approved in early 2021. This new interlocal agreement will form the Olympia Sea Level Rise Response Collaborative.