The Humboldt Bay Power Plant is a former nuclear power plant that was shut down in 1976. Decommissioning, which began in 2008, is nearly complete. The site, located 115 feet away from Humboldt Bay, on a bluff 44 feet above sea level, continues to serve as storage for spent nuclear fuel. Plans for the movement this waste to an off-site storage location are not yet clear. The site is currently highly vulnerable to coastal erosion, sea-level rise, storm surge, and tsunamis, and there is no sea-level rise risk hazard mitigation plan either in the short or long term.
This project engaged community and tribal partners in long-term risk mitigation planning, facilitating participatory decision-making processes. The objective was to share information about sea-level rise science and guide further actions to protect the site in a manner that reflects common interests and goals. Using scenario planning, this project directly involved diverse participants in scenario planning exercises that resulted in a useful tool for decision-makers, allowing them to understand the potential outcomes of various decisions under different possible futures and for different groups.
Participants issued recommendations that prioritized short- and long-term recommendations for addressing sea level rise risk and other vulnerabilities to the spent nuclear fuel storage site from climatic and coastal hazards.
Project results were developed in presentations for decision-makers, academics, publications and a public-facing website that will share public data and research findings, as well as a document repository for the public.
Jennifer Marlow