addressing climate change adaptation in regional transportation plans

Flooding and damage to infrastructure can put large populations at risk (CDPH,2008), including:• The elderly and children less than five years of age, who are isolated ordependent on others for evacuation. As an example, Sutter County is one ofCalifornia’s counties with a high proportion of elderly living in nursing homes(English et al., 2007).• Populations that may lack the resources or knowledge to prepare orrespond to disaster due to language or economic status, including havingaccess to transportation, which would allow them to escape flooding, at leasttemporarily.Addressing the flood threats in this region may require regional collaboration.This collaboration should include counties, cities, special districts, the CaliforniaDepartment of Water Resources (DWR), the California Emergency ManagementAgency (Cal EMA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), theCentral Valley Flood Protection District, and other entities.AgricultureThe Northern Central Valley is one of the largest agricultural producing regions,not only in California, but in the United States. Between climate change impactson water availability and seasonal temperature regimes, the health of livestock,and productivity of trees and crops are likely to be affected.Agriculture in this region is varied, with rice, nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios),and dairy being three of the most predominant products. Others include pears,cattle, wine grapes, chicken, sweet potatoes, and plums.Each crop is likely to react slightly differently to alteration in seasonaltemperature regimes and water availability. Rice is projected to experiencea moderate loss in productivity (less than 10 percent; CCCC, 2009). In thecase of nut trees, it is the reduction in nighttime cooling that may have themost impact (Luedeling et al., 2011). Jurisdictions reliant on almonds, walnuts,pistachios, or other nuts should specifically evaluate projected changes in dailylow temperatures and/or loss of nighttime chill hours. It is difficult to specificallyproject the production impact on crops because this relates to many factors inaddition to temperature and precipitation, including pest regimes, availability ofimported or groundwater irrigation water, and management practices (Luedelinget al, 2011).PAGE 43APG: UNDERSTANDING REGIONAL CHARACTERISTICS