San Francisco Chronicle - Tara Duggan
Runways at major Bay Area airports could face flooding within two decades if nothing is done to protect them from sea level rise and storm surge, a new UC Berkeley study evaluating risk to California coastal airports has found.
The report, which looked at exposure to flooding at California public airports located within 6 miles of the coast, found vulnerabilities at 39 out of 43 by 2100. That includes all 14 Bay Area airports in the study, half of which could face flooding on their runways or taxiways in the next 20 years. San Francisco International Airport and Oakland International Airport are two of the most vulnerable airports statewide — though they are taking steps to mitigate the problem.
The risk appears higher than in previous studies because the researchers analyzed flooding possibility both at the airport proper, such as to runways and air traffic control towers, as well to important infrastructure outside their perimeters, including roads leading into the airport and communications systems not located on the property.
