Sea Level Rise Report details areas at risk surrounding Humboldt Bay

HUMBOLDT BAY, CA. – Is sea level rise a threat to Humboldt County? New research shows vulnerable areas that could be impacted.

The Sea Level Rise Report for Humboldt Bay was prepared with grant money from the California Ocean Protection Council and was released Thursday.

There are about 52 miles of shoreline along the Humboldt Bay.

In 2005, a storm surge caused sea levels to rise nearly two feet in the area.

The report details that with the rise of three feet, “roughly 35 miles of barrier shoreline could be overtopped” – and such a rise could be reached within the next thirty years.

Highway 101, 255, wastewater lines, electrical distribution infrastructure, and the entire communities of King Salmon, Fields Landing and Fairhaven could be at risk if tides were to rise those three feet.

The purpose of this research is to guide policy-making moving forward, and will be considered in the Humboldt Bay Area Plan update, currently underway.

The report can be viewed in full, here.