Deadline extended for public comment on Hayward sea level rise adaptation plan

HAYWARD, Calif., June 11, 2020—The City of Hayward, East Bay Regional Park District and Hayward Area Recreation Park District are jointly seeking public input on strategies under consideration for adapting the Hayward shoreline to rising sea levels.

Sea levels are rising and are anticipated to continue rising in San Francisco Bay and globally, a climate-change phenomenon caused by the warming of oceans and increased melting of land-based ice such as glaciers and ice sheets, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Adaptation strategies currently under consideration would structurally alter the bay edge within Hayward through a combination of nature-based designs, like gravel beaches and tidal-marsh restoration, and engineered strategies, like levee improvements and tide gates.

The nature-based approaches seek to enhance protective ecological features of the shoreline, while engineered solutions would aim to reduce risk to critical shoreline infrastructure, such as the City’s wastewater treatment plant, the Hayward-San Mateo Bridge, the Bay Trail and the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center.

To learn more, go online to www.haywardshorelinemasterplan.com.  Community members are encouraged to provide feedback on the Hayward Shoreline Adaptation Master Plan and the adaptation strategies currently under consideration by filling out this comment form.  The deadline for public comment has been extended to Friday, June 26.