A new type of levee is taking root in Northern California

Charlotte Burks, Contributing Writer - GristStephan: Here is some good news. Finally, people on the coasts, are beginning to develop coastal levees that fostering wellbeing for all living beings. In the Pacific Northwest, around Puget Sound this is a very big issue, just as it is in California. It is particularly important that the Trump administration does not have to play any role in this development, and can't block any of this. It is done with local, state level, and coastal land owner financing. A coastal levee of a new type. Credit: Grist Visitors to the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve, captivated by gliding birds overhead and golden hills across the Bay waters, could be forgiven for failing to notice that the preserve is also home to the Bay’s newest levee. Most levees look like steep, barren embankments or riprap-clad seawalls, designed to prevent flooding by adding extra feet of height. But this project, though it shares a name, is a different type of infrastructure altogether. Seeded with over 35 species of native plants, the site is a pilot for what’s known as a horizontal levee, or living levee, blending into the estuary’s natural scenery as it spreads its feet of added height over a longer area. In stark contrast to a traditional levee, the Palo Alto Horizontal Levee Pilot Project’s natural appearance and gradual slope are designed to interact with Bay waters the same way natural estuaries do. “When you look at levees that are along the bay front, a [...]Read the Full Article »