Sea level rise is an imminent threat shaping our coastlines and communities. In the Bay Area we are facing higher tides, more frequent flooding, and escalating risks to infrastructure and ecosystems. Spanning approximately one mile, The First Mile Horizontal Levee aims to enhance coastal resilience against sea level rise.
In May, Save The Bay was featured OpenRoad: Saving shorelines and a trails challenge where we toured the First Mile Horizontal Levee at the Hayward shoreline. This levee is a nature-based approach made of soil and plants that buffers nearby communities and improves water quality while creating habitat for wildlife.
OpenRoad featured Save The Bay’s Habitat Restoration Director, Jessie Olson who stated, “In addition to that shoreline protection, we’re also getting incredible habitat for the species that also call the Bay Area home. We’re getting pollution prevention; we’re getting water filtration and we’re also going to get some recreational benefits as we move the Bay Trail in so that other folks can enjoy this beautiful resource.”
As the Bay Area continues to confront the impacts of climate change, sea level rise projects like the First Mile Horizontal Levee offer a blueprint for resilient and sustainable coastal adaptation.
Combatting Sea Level Rise
The Bay Area is experiencing catastrophic increases in flooding across our local communities. Prior solutions to this have been to build infrastructures with concrete and asphalt, however these solutions have proven to only be temporarily sustainable.
King tides, storms, and rising waves are quickly increasing flooding across the shorelines. Though sea level rise is unavoidable, nature-based strategies provide new and innovative ways to combat flooding in the Bay Area.
Only a few feet of rising sea levels will soon submerge the San Francisco Bay Trail and surrounding communities. In response, Save The Bay and partner organizations are advocating for nature-based solutions like the First Mile Horizontal Levee—a wide, gently sloped levee made of soil and native plants. This innovative approach reduces flooding, improves water quality, and restores vital habitat for wildlife.
The project is part of the broader Hayward Shoreline Adaptation Master Plan, adopted by the Hayward Area Shoreline Planning Agency (HASPA) in 2021, which outlines strategies for adapting to sea level rise in the region.
Nature-Based Solutions
To protect habitats and life along the shoreline, horizontal levees offer multiple ecological advantages. Unlike traditional steep levees, this design incorporates natural elements to enhance its effectiveness.
One of its key features is the ecotone slope, a gently sloped area between the levee and tidal marsh— which helps reduce the impact of storms and prevents soil erosion.
Additionally, another innovative aspect is the use of treated wastewater to irrigate the vegetation on the levee. This water provides essential resources and nutrients to the plants that promote healthy growth.
A Sustainable Model for the Future
The First Mile Horizontal Levee serves as a scalable model for other coastal communities facing similar challenges. By integrating flood protection with habitat restoration, it demonstrates how nature-based infrastructures can create sustainable impacts in our communities. As the Bay Area continues to confront the impacts of climate change, sea level rise projects like the First Mile Horizontal Levee offer a blueprint for resilient and sustainable coastal adaptation.
Learn more about our work and the project that inspired the First Mile Levee—the Oro Loma Horizontal Levee serves as a trailblazing example of a nature-based solution to sea level rise in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Interested in building strong nature-based solutions to protect our communities and ecosystem? Join Us! Visit our calendar to learn about upcoming events on the shoreline or in a native plant nursery. We look forward to seeing you soon!
1 NBC Bay Area, OpenRoad: Saving shorelines and a trails challenge https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/open-road-hayward-shorelines/3870191/
2 OpenRoadTV https://www.youtube.com/user/openroadtv
3 San Francisco Estuary Partners, Transforming Urban Water Initiative From Gray to Green Shorelines https://www.sfestuary.org/first-mile-horizontal-levee/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
4 Save The Bay, Oro Loma Horizontal Levee: Filtration, Flood Protection, and Habitat Restoration https://savesfbay.org/horizontal-levee-filtration-oro-loma/
