Thumbnail photo by Amanda Dockter

Transportation officials will unveil  a plan on Thursday they say will help local and state governments prepare for the more intense storms expected to hit Del Norte County as a result of climate change.

The South Beach Climate Resilience Plan focuses on U.S. 101, Anchor Way and the Crescent City Marsh area, said Tamera Leighton, executive director for the Del Norte Transportation Commission, one of the partners on the project.

The DNLTC has been working with the Crescent City Harbor District, Elk Valley Rancheria, Caltrans District 1, Del Norte County and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for about a year and a half to create the first step in addressing a “big infrastructure problem” for South Beach, Leighton said.

Consultants BHD and GreenDOT also participated in creating the planning document.

After taking public comment last winter, Thursday’s meeting is about sharing the plan with Del Norters, Leighton told Redwood Voice Community News.

“Del Norte County is predicted to not necessarily have more rain, but to have more intense storms,” she said. “More intense storms means more flooding and more damage to transportation infrastructure.”

In the South Beach area, Leighton said, experts expect U.S. 101 to be impacted by storm surge due to sea level rise, which sweeps debris onto the highway, as well as flooding from the Crescent City Marsh on the eastern side. This is a big infrastructure problem for that area, she said.

The Crescent City Harbor District is also focusing on climate change impacts to Anchor Way, while Elk Valley Rancheria is a major property owner and stakeholder in the area, Leighton said. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife owns the Crescent City Marsh.

According to Leighton, the completion of the South Beach Climate Resilience Plan will likely be the extent of the Del Norte Local Transportation Commission’s involvement in the project, though it can help find funding. It’s a major first step, but others, including creating a scope of work and developing a project would be up to Caltrans, which owns the state highway system, or the Crescent City Harbor District, which controls Anchor Way.

“We don’t make any decisions about anything,” Leighton said. “It’s not a project initiation document, which really gets into the details of cost, scope, schedule, purpose and need. They would use this information to take the next step.”

Thursday’s meeting will include a presentation and a question and answer opportunity. It will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday via Zoom. To register, click here.