Several areas of The City are falling prey to “subsidence” — the term used to describe the downward settling of ground — at a moment when climate change is causing sea levels to rise. “Once you subside — You don't get that back. That's irreversible.”
San Franciscans have always occupied shaky ground. But now, parts of our quake-prone city are literally sinking under our feet.
“Wherever you have development of landfill — so SFO, Mission Bay, Treasure Island, the Marina and much of the area South of Market — that’s still compacting,” said Burgmann. “It is very young, loose stuff … So if you build on that, you have to either take certain procedures or steps to mitigate that.”Recently, Mission Bay’s sinking sidewalks have come to exemplify the perils of developing on these young soils.
But Burgmann’s research shows that inundation maps solely based on sea-level rise rates have underestimated the flood-prone areas by as much as 90%. Heatwaves and drought “certainly make everything harder,” said Burgmann. “As we all know, water is the issue No. 1 in the long term, especially in the West.”The protracted dry spell has also prompted water managers such as San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to seek alternative supplies — including tapping San Francisco’s groundwater.
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