1. San Francisco Bay Water Board
Agenda Item 6 Meeting the Challenges of Climate Change- Water Board Plans and Policies
San Francisco Bay Water Board
April 10, 2019
Lisa Horowitz McCann
Christina Toms
Good morning Chair Young and Members of the Board.
I am Lisa Horowitz McCann, Assistant Executive Officer.
I am pleased to introduce Agenda Item 6- Meeting the Challenges of Climate Change
As you well know, climate change threatens water quality and human health throughout our region and most imminently along the San Francisco Bay Shoreline.
So today we are going to focus on one of our highest priority projects to address those threats so we continue to succeed at our mission.

2. Overview Background Climate change and wetland policy project
New partnerships
Review the background on how we got to our new normal of increased attention on climate change impacts and strategies to address them
Tee up a more detailed discussion of our plan to implement our climate change and wetland policy project to amend our Basin Plan and create an updated regulatory framework
And we will present some of our current outreach and stakeholder engagement as it relates to the project and
development of new partnerships to more broadly facilitate leveraging our authority and responsibility to meet the challenges of climate change
8/8/2018

3. Board-directed priority Inventory of activities Board workshop
Background
Board-directed priority
Inventory of activities
Board workshop
Prioritization of activities
A little background on our organizational process-
In November 2017, you appointed a Board subcommittee including Board Member Battey and Board Member Ogbu to work with me to establish new priorities for the Board, with high interest in addressing climate change as a candidate.
In spring 2018, the Board directed staff to work on climate change as a high priority
Staff compiled an inventory of current activities addressing climate change
Staff, the Board and stakeholders from other state agencies and environmental groups discussed these activities at a Workshop in August 2018
A key outcome of the workshop was to prioritize updating our regulatory framework to facilitate wetland protection and shoreline resiliency in face of sea level rise.
Additionally, participants expressed the importance of the Board’s participation in regional collaborations and partnerships to better leverage the Board’s authority and responsibility to protect beneficial uses, including human health and water quality.
8/8/2018

4. Inventory of Activities
Web Page
Permit conditions
Wetland policies
Regional planning
As a review, we continue to implement several on-going activities that address climate change impacts and that rely on most of our programs and many of our existing authorities.
We created a web page to improve communication and external awareness of our climate change involvement.
We have incorporated requirements for vulnerability assessment, adaptation planning and increased use of nature-based solutions into permits for contaminated sites with clean up orders, wastewater treatment plants, wetland protection and restoration projects, redevelopment and transportation projects.
We initiated review of our wetland protection policies to identify opportunities and challenges for both protecting existing wetlands and for planning and creating new wetlands.
We participate in several regional planning and climate science forums
8/8/2018

5. Climate Change and Wetland Policy Project
Facilitate wetland protection
Permit shoreline resiliency projects
Update regulatory framework
Our climate change and wetland policy project is our highest priority planning projects.
This project was identified and prioritized as part of our periodic review of our Water Quality Control Plan, or what’s known as our Triennial Review.
You approved this project for staff to amend the Water Quality Control Plan with climate change information and to evaluate how to revise policies and plans for wetland protection and shoreline resiliency.
Staff is preparing a technical project report and project plan to define and propose implementation of the project.
The purpose of the project is to improve and accelerate wetland protection and permitting of shoreline resiliency projects using an updated regulatory framework.
Christina Toms, Sr. Environmental Scientist, will describe the project, its status, the opportunities we have identified and next steps for this project. We will also have Julie Beagle from San Francisco Estuary Institute present the Adaptation Atlas as it will be part of the foundation for our updated regulatory framework.
8/8/2018

6. San Francisco Bay Water Board
Agenda Item 6 Meeting the Challenges of Climate Change- Water Board Plans and Policies
San Francisco Bay Water Board
April 10, 2019
Lisa Horowitz McCann
Christina Toms
Today, we want to focus on our work to update our policies and regulatory framework.
We will also tell you about some new partnerships we are fostering.
I hope today sends a clear message that we continue to seek the best ways to leverage our authorities so we are prepared to protect human health and the environment throughout the region in response to climate change.
With that, I will turn it over to Christinas.