The City of San Diego has been working on a Coastal Resilience Master Plan in an effort to protect communities and benefit wildlife in light of projected sea level rise.  Independently, the Friends of Famosa Slough has also been looking for ways to study the impacts of sea level rise on the biological and environmental features of the Slough.

A major concern for Famosa Slough is Sea Level Rise impacts on the future ecological health of sensitive tidal wetlands and wildlife that depend on the habitat. In efforts to plan ahead, the Friends of Famosa Slough and the City of San Diego is in the process of applying for a grant to fund a Sea Level Rise Study to address climate resiliency at the slough. Thanks to the support from Coastal Quest with our initial proposal, we have been approved to submit a full proposal early summer to the Ocean Protection Council for an SB1 grant to fund a Sea Level Rise study at Famosa Slough. Please stay tuned as we look forward to receiving public input with our efforts to address climate resiliency at the slough.

The Famosa Slough is a rich estuarine blue carbon habitat.  The Slough has specific vulnerabilities with sea level rise since the neighborhood is immediately adjacent, there is limited opportunity for shoreline retreat.  As sea levels rise, the Slough’s compressed upland transition would result in increased open area water and reduce the valuable intertidal range.  The Slough’s topography and bathymetry, especially with extreme high tides such as king tides, are complex and the wetland ecosystem may benefit from further study, modeling, and planning for alternate methods of wetland augmentation.