Novato Creek Baylands Vision: Integrating ecological functions and flood protection within a climate-resilient landscape

As we rethink land management along the San Francisco Bay shoreline in the face of climate change, we know well-functioning resilient tidal landscapes can protect development and sustain native ecosystems. Here, we present a possible future vision for lower Novato Creek and adjacent baylands that includes several components that would restore and support natural processes, and, in turn, benefit aspects of flood risk management and ecosystem functioning. The Novato Creek Baylands Vision is an element of an EPA-funded project called Flood Control 2.0, which is aimed at advancing new approaches for flood risk management and habitat enhancement along the San Francisco Bay shoreline for the 21st century and beyond. Lower Novato Creek has a history of flooding in downtown Novato during large storm events. To address this challenge, Marin County Department of Public Works (Marin County DPW) and Marin County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (MCFCWCD) are in the process of developing watershed-wide flood protection strategies (henceforth in this report, Marin County DPW includes MCFCWCD). While channel redesign has been undertaken in the past, Marin County DPW is continually re-evaluating best practices for channel management. Marin County DPW's ultimate goal is to meet current and future flood risk management needs in a cost-effective manner while improving ecosystem functioning within lower Novato Creek and adjacent baylands. Flood Control 2.0 team members and project partners worked with Marin County DPW to explore the potential integration of ecosystem functions and flood protection on lower Novato Creek . The process for developing this vision had three main components. First, SFEI built a baseline understanding of the historical and contemporary geomorphic and ecological conditions, and assessed the likely impact of future drivers (e.g., sea level rise, increased flood intensity). Second, these findings were presented at a workshop that included engineers and planners from Marin County DPW, state and local natural resource agency staff, and an advisory panel of regional science experts. The science advisory panel worked with Marin County DPW staff to develop ideas for management actions that would incorporate increased ecosystem functions into flood risk management. Finally, following the workshop, potential improvements to habitat and flood conveyance associated with the developed Vision were analyzed. The Novato Creek Baylands Vision is intended to help Marin County DPW, partner agencies, landowners, and other stakeholders explore adaptation approaches in the coming decades. Ideally, the Vision will continue to be refined through subsequent analyses, and through coordination with concurrent restoration and management efforts in the area. Ultimately, this Vision can be used to guide flood control channel-bayland redesign efforts around the Bay at the mouths of other flood control channels with similar landscapes.