Sunday, September 15, 2019

THE SILVER LINING TO CLIMATE ADAPTATION -- Part 4

The High Cost of Resiliency Efforts and the Hope that 
Lies in Wise Government Planning and Spending


“The yearly sea level rise now is about your thumb’s width or less,'  Murley said

But as glacier melts increase, what if the annual sea level rise increases from my thumb to my fist,” Murley said, noting that the county is part of several compacts that monitor data and recalibrate the huge — both in terms of land mass and population — area’s vulnerability. 

“Salt water infiltration is a major problem even when it isn’t causing flooding,” Murley said. “It pushes everything up, including the water table. 

That can cause problems with drinking water, septic systems and other systems we rely on.” 

From spring to fall 2019, Miami-Dade County will be working with an expert consultant team to reach out to the diverse population to share the myriad of potential projects that could save greater Miami (where high ground is only 20 feet above sea level) from its precarious coastal location. 

The county is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to look at two high risk areas — Miami Beach and the bay between the beach’s barrier island and mainland Miami. 

Murley said the concept of cost sharing multibillion dollar mitigation projects with the federal government is obviously very attractive to a region that would not have enough to foot the bill for all projects even if it spent every penny of tax revenue on them.

No comments:

Post a Comment