Adaptation and Resilience Technical Assistance Program
Palo Alto Horizontal Levee Pilot Project
The Palo Alto Horizontal Levee Pilot (PAHLP) project is the first horizontal levee constructed in the San Francisco Bay Area that is hydrologically connected to the San Francisco Bay. The PAHLP project will use treated wastewater to provide underground irrigation to support diverse habitats restored on the surface of the horizontal levee. This treated wastewater will replace the freshwater that used to come from local creeks but has since been cut off due to flood control channelization and urban development. For more information about the PAHLP project, visit the City of Palo Alto project website.
The project is part of a portfolio of local government support projects that SFEP supports through the Adaptation and Resilience Technical Assistance Program.
Project Goals
- Restore rare and historic transitional habitat along the Bay’s shoreline for special status species
- Adapt to sea level rise by providing a vegetated slope that will support freshwater plants to build organic soils to keep pace with and allow wetland habitat to migrate up slope with rising water levels
- Provide polishing treatment of tertiary-treated wastewater
- Maintain a low-impact trail for recreational access
- Engage communities in shoreline adaptation solutions
Project Timeline
Project Resources
- Read the Project Info Sheet
- View the 60% Design – Completed 04/2022
- Read the Preliminary Design Report
- Read the Preliminary Conceptual Design – Completed 08/2018
Watch the project webinar from November 16, 2021, “Sharing Space: Balancing Public Access and Habitat Enhancement at the Palo Alto Horizontal Levee Pilot Project”.
Community-Engaged Research
The PAHLP project provides a unique opportunity to study the efficacy of a horizontal levee in reducing microplastic pollution in waterways. This research will be led by CSU Channel Islands researchers in partnership with community-based organization Nuestra Casa.
Sampling campaigns began in 2024 and will continue through 2026. An open access report will be made available upon completion.
Photos
Partners
- Lead Implementer: City of Palo Alto
- Project Manager/Implementation Support: San Francisco Estuary Partnership
- Funders: US Environmental Protection Agency, CA State Coastal Conservancy
- Community Engagement and Monitoring Partners: Nuestra Casa, CSU Channel Islands, US Geological Survey
- Lead Designers: Environmental Science Associates and HDR
- Construction Management: Zoon Engineering
- Construction: Corcus Construction
- Planting: Save The Bay
Contact
