Kitsap conducting sea level rise assessment

By Staff report • September 14, 2024 1:30 am
File photo Flooding occurred at Point No Point in Hansville in 2022.
File photo Flooding occurred at Point No Point in Hansville in 2022.

Kitsap County’s Department of Community Development is conducting a Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Risk Assessment that will identify potential losses or damages from flooding.

With more than 200 miles of marine shoreline, the county is already experiencing hazards due to rising sea levels as coastal erosion, flooding and inundation pose increasing risks to public and private infrastructure, public health and safety, the county’s website states. The assessment will characterize the risk of loss, and highlight areas of the community, resources, infrastructure or assets considered most vulnerable.

The assessment will be used for planning, such as revisions to the county’s Shoreline Master Program, Critical Areas Ordinance, Public Works Transportation Improvement Program, wastewater systems, Stormwater Capital Facilities Plan and Comprehensive Plan.

Outreach efforts for the SLR Vulnerability and Risk Assessment will include consultation with tribal partners, non-government organizations, businesses and industries, and community or neighborhood groups, per the website. The grant-funded project must be completed by June of 2025.

Key tasks for the assessment will include: developing methodology; collecting baseline data; risk and vulnerability mapping; policy and regulation review; and reporting.

The project timeline includes:Summer 2024: Initial focus on data collection and developing the project methodology.

Fall/Winter 2024: Mapping and vulnerability analysis, along with the development of initial recommendations.

Winter/Spring 2025: Conduct regulatory review and prepare preliminary report and draft audit summary.

Spring/Summer 2025: Finalizing recommendations and completing the final report.

Throughout the process, there will be several key touchpoints with county commissioners, planning commission, the public and a technical advisory committee, per the website. Those interactions will provide project inputs and recommendations. The project will provide multiple opportunities for community input through public meetings, briefings, a survey and GIS StoryMap.