Sediment for Wetland Adaptation Project (SWAP)
Using grant funding, BCDC is working to increase beneficial reuse of sediment and soil for habitat adaptation by creating an action plan through stakeholder engagement, undertaking a potential Bay Plan amendment, and developing a financing strategy.
BCDC Releases Action Plan to Advance Wetland Restoration Through Beneficial Reuse of Sediment and Soil
March 26, 2025
BCDC is excited to release the new Sediment for Wetlands Adaptation Project (SWAP) Action Plan aimed at increasing the beneficial reuse of sediment and soil to restore and enhance wetlands and help the Bay Area adapt to rising sea levels.
BCDC has led a collaborative process to develop the San Francisco Bay Sediment & Soil Beneficial Reuse Action Plan for Wetland Restoration Adaptation (Action Plan). This Action Plan is a foundational strategy for how the Bay Area can more effectively and efficiently beneficially reuse sediment and soil to sustain and adapt the Bay’s wetlands in light of increased shoreline flooding due to sea level rise.
Wetlands are vital natural infrastructure. They buffer waves, absorb flood waters, provide wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities, improve water quality, and more. The Bay’s shoreline was once lined with over 500,000 acres of wetlands, but diking, draining, filling, and development have deteriorated or drowned an estimated 85-95 percent of these wetlands, leaving the region more vulnerable to shoreline flooding. According to the latest science, restoring the Bay’s wetlands and mudflats will require more than 450 million cubic yards of sediment between now and 2100, or the volume of almost 700 Salesforce Towers.
Formerly diked and separated from wildlife in the late 1800s, the Montezuma Wetlands Restoration Project in Suisun Marsh, Solano County has restored vital habitat by beneficially reusing millions of cubic yards of sediment dredged annually from Bay Area ports, harbors, and channels since receiving its permits in 2001.
Sediment that is already dredged from the Bay and excess soil from local construction projects are “valuable assets that our region’s wetlands need more than ever as sea level rise threatens to drown habitat that millions of birds and other wildlife call home,” said Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg, Chair of the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture’s Management Board. However, these materials are usually treated as waste products by being either dumped in deep water or disposed of at landfills. Instead, ‘beneficial reuse’ repurposes sediment and soil to support shoreline resilience, habitats, levee maintenance, and more, “turning a misperceived waste product into one of best climate adaptation solutions,” Schwartz Lesberg continued.
Stakeholders brainstormed solutions and identified priority actions to meet the Bay Area’s demand for beneficial reuse at a two-day workshop in 2024 at BCDC’s headquarters in San Francisco.
The Action Plan was created with input from a diverse array of stakeholders, including the dredging industry, flood protection managers, contractors, restoration practitioners, the maritime community, agencies at all levels of government, environmentalists, and other private sector partners. “This Action Plan is the first time this many sectors came together to identify real world actions to break down the barriers to moving sediment and soil to wetlands in San Francisco Bay,” said Evyan Borgnis Sloane, the Deputy Executive Officer of the California State Coastal Conservancy.
Throughout the Plan’s development, BCDC regularly consulted with members of its Sediment and Beneficial Reuse Commissioner Working Group, as well as a Core Team of representatives from the California State Coastal Conservancy, San Francisco Bay Joint Venture, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, and San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI). Warner Chabot, Executive Director of SFEI, remarks, “This Action Plan is a real triumph. It provides clear guidance for how to get more sediment and soil to wetland restoration and adaptation projects around the Bay.”
Larry Goldzband, BCDC’s Executive Director reminds readers, “This plan calls for all the agencies, restoration practitioners, resource managers, and stakeholders involved in sediment and soil management to take action to help restore the Bay’s wetlands and protect our habitats and communities from rising sea levels. This is an action plan for the region – not just for BCDC – and we thank all of our partners who contributed their time and effort to develop it.” If you or your organization would like to take action on any of the Plan’s initiatives, or to receive SWAP updates, please email rachel.cohen@bcdc.ca.gov.
The Action Plan aligns with the Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan’s (RSAP) guidance for local jurisdictions to prioritize nature-based solutions as they plan for rising sea levels. The RSAP advises local shoreline planners to consider the efficacy of sediment management for nature-based solutions and emphasizes the need for a sustainable sediment supply to support natural adaptation processes.
The release of the Action Plan marks the end of Phase 1 of the SWAP. Phase 2 of the SWAP will assess whether increasing beneficial reuse requires amending BCDC’s San Francisco Bay Plan. In Phase 3, BCDC will develop a strategy to fund increased beneficial reuse. The project is funded primarily by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with additional funding from the California Ocean Protection Council.
Rachel Cohen, Environmental Scientist
415.352.3661
rachel.cohen@bcdc.ca.gov
Brenda Goeden, Sediment Program Manager
415.352.3623
brenda.goeden@bcdc.ca.gov