Northeast Waterfront

Since 2017, the Port has connected with tens of thousands of community members through the Waterfront Resilience Program. 

Public feedback collected about the Northeast Waterfront underscores the importance of preserving natural habitats and ecology, maintaining recreation - from parks and bike paths to fishing, historic sites, and tourism - and staying connected to the rest of the city with transit options. 

Further feedback highlights additional community priorities, including opportunities to:

• Protect and enhance Pier 27.
• Improve walkability and pedestrian safety. 
• Preserve and enhance the Embarcadero Promenade.
• Enhance bicycle access and safety.

Community feedback also helped identify places in the Northeast Waterfront that people love, including:

• The Exploratorium, a participatory science museum for all ages that also offers public areas and displays inside and outside of the museum along the bay.
• Coit Tower, one of San Francisco’s iconic landmarks and a popular tourist destination, with views of the bay and Golden Gate Bridge.
• Open grassy areas at Pier 27.
• Historic streetcars and bike lanes along the Embarcadero Promenade and Roadway for getting around the waterfront.
• Embarcadero Historic District
• Embarcadero Promenade

Click on the blue dots to learn more about each place.

The Port, in collaboration with City partners and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is taking steps to better understand the different seismic and flood risks along its 7.5-mile bayside jurisdiction. Recent assessment efforts include:

• Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment 
• Flood Resiliency Study (with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
• Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Consequences Assessment (City of San Francisco)
• Islais Creek Adaptation Study (with SF Planning and SFMTA)
• Southern Waterfront Seismic Vulnerability Assessment

Scroll down to learn more about the seismic and flood risks in the Northeast Waterfront based on these findings.

Improving the seismic safety of the waterfront is a top priority of the Waterfront Resilience Program. See the  Seismic and Flood Risk 101  page to learn more about the history of earthquakes in the Bay Area and San Francisco’s commitment to improving seismic safety. 

As detailed in the Seawall Earthquake Safety General Obligation Bond Report prepared when Proposition A was considered for the November 2018 ballot, the Port has spent the past two years assessing what is at risk on the Embarcadero waterfront when considering an earthquake or flood event to establish a basis for the development of Proposition A projects. This study is called the Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment, or MHRA. 

We knew the Port’s aging Embarcadero Seawall was at grave risk from earthquakes. MHRA findings tell us there are areas more at risk of earthquake damage due to different soil conditions - and some less so. 

Here are some specific key findings that relate to this subarea:

• Up to 40,000 people could be at risk on Port property if an earthquake occurs during the day. 
• Many historic buildings and bulkhead wharves are at high risk. The bulkhead wharves are the structures located where the pile supported piers over the Bay meet the land. These structures are interconnected with the seawall and support the ornate, historic bulkhead buildings that line the Embarcadero. These structures are at high risk of earthquake damage and will flood with increasing sea levels.
• The Embarcadero roadway has significant seismic risk, which could impact disaster response and local and regional transportation. Due to the presence of weak soil, the Embarcadero transportation and utility corridor is at significant seismic risk. In a 1906-size earthquake, damage to the seawall and Embarcadero may be severe enough to significantly hamper disaster response efforts along the waterfront. A more likely earthquake like the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake – but centered close to San Francisco – is expected to lead to loss of the Embarcadero as a transportation route for up to 1 year.
• At just over 2 feet of sea-level rise, expected to occur between 2050 and 2075, the Embarcadero roadway and promenade will reach a tipping point where the 100-year flood causes widespread overtopping of the shoreline, resulting in significant disruption to multi-modal movement, cutting off landside access to all Port facilities and flooding the Financial District nearly to Beale Street. Such widespread flooding results in severe disruption and damage to the entire Embarcadero corridor and historic district, along with hundreds of other small businesses, residential and commercial uses, jobs and critical services, impacting not only the City but the greater Bay Area region. Additionally, access to Port infrastructure via the Embarcadero is cut off which is expected to eliminate the ability for the Port to carry out its public trust responsibilities and maintain and operate critical City, State, and Port assets and services.

Liquefaction is an unique phenomenon that happens when water-saturated sediment (like sand) temporarily loses strength and acts as a fluid. Imagine jumping on wet sand near the water at the beach until it turns soft and your feet sink in.

Liquefaction is caused by strong ground shaking during an earthquake and is greater in areas with sandy soils. As a result of liquefaction, buildings, roads and utility lines may lose their foundational support and the likelihood of significant damage increases. Liquefaction of the soil behind the Seawall will also increase the risk of lateral spreading along the shoreline.

The map shows the Northeast Waterfront subarea liquefaction risk rated as: Very High (dark red), and Very Low (yellow).

Liquefaction can also increase the risk of lateral spreading, which is when gently sloping ground starts to move downhill, causing cracks to open up. Lateral spreading is a seismic hazard that causes large areas of land to move, typically toward a body of water. This results in potentially large cracks and settlement at the ground surface, resembling a landslide but on relatively flat ground. 

Scroll down to see how liquefaction and lateral spreading could impact the Northeast Waterfront in response to two potential larger earthquakes. These projections are part of the  Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment  (MHRA) completed for the three-mile Embarcadero Seawall Program.  

Similar to the 1906 earthquake, a 225-year-earthquake has less than a 0.5 percent chance of occurring in any given year. In such an extreme event:

• Significant damage to infrastructure and buildings could occur along some areas due to intense ground shaking, lateral spreading, and liquefaction.
• Lateral spreading of 9 to 14 inches could occur close to the Seawall (see the dark orange areas along the shoreline).

The lateral spread risk decreases inland from the Seawall to areas that are not built on bay fill.

The building at Pier 15, now home to the Exploratorium, was retrofitted to reduce earthquake risk in 2012. Likewise, the James R. Herman Cruise Terminal at Pier 27 was built in 2014 with earthquake safety in mind.

A very rare 975-year earthquake would be larger than the 1906 earthquake and has a 0.1 percent chance of occurring in a given year. In this extraordinary event:

• Lateral spreading of up to about 45 inches could occur near the Seawall throughout most of the Northeast Waterfront subarea, meaning that the land could slide up to 3.75 feet towards the bay (see the map’s dark red areas).
• Lateral spreading just inland of the Seawall is higher near Pier 27 compared to areas just inland from Piers 9 through 23 (see the lighter and darker orange areas near Pier 27, representing 9 to 30 inches of lateral spreading).

Interested in learning more about what the Port is considering to improve seismic safety along the waterfront? Visit the  Measures Explorer  page to read about specific strategies for adapting San Francisco's waterfront in the event of earthquakes.

The Port and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have partnered to study flood risk along San Francisco’s bayside shoreline. The Flood Resiliency Study is one of several federal, state, and local collaborations to help the Port increase resilience along the San Francisco shoreline.

Launched in Fall 2018, the approximately three- to five-year Flood Resiliency Study will identify vulnerabilities and identify recommended strategies to reduce current and future flood risks for consideration by the Assistant Secretary of the Army and the U.S. Congress for federal investment and implementation.

Scroll down to see the different risks and impacts for the Northeast Waterfront when considering various scenarios for flooding and sea level rise. The flood maps presented here are from the  Adapting to Rising Tides flood explorer .

Overtopping is when water, usually in the form of storm surge or a wave, can reach over the shoreline and cause inland flooding. In general, overtopping of natural shorelines such as wetlands and beaches occurs at a lower flood elevation than overtopping of engineered shorelines such as seawalls, bulkheads, and wharves.

Red lines shown on the map indicate where overtopping begins to occur with 52 inches of sea level rise, or 11 inches of sea level rise combined with a 100-year coastal flood event. At this level, the paved plaza of the Pier 23 Café and the wharf north of Pier 7 are overtopped, allowing floodwaters to reach the Embarcadero roadway and mix with floodwaters flowing from the adjacent  Ferry Building  subarea.

Learn more below about how flooding or future sea level rise is likely to impact the Northeast Waterfront.

A tipping point is reached when the impacts of a flood go beyond a certain area, creating cascading consequences that can have citywide or regional ramifications. Damage is more than can be immediately addressed and affects critical assets and the community. The Port and the City use the concept of a tipping point to understand when planning for large-scale shoreline adaptation projects is necessary and which site-specific approaches to flood risk reduction may be overwhelmed. Understanding tipping points and how they vary along the waterfront can also help compare and prioritize projects along the waterfront.

Northeast Waterfront reaches a critical tipping point with 66 inches of sea level rise, or 25 inches of sea level rise combined with a 100-year coastal flood event. In this situation, overtopping would:

• Occur at several locations along the Embarcadero.
• Turn the Embarcadero into a pathway for floodwaters into the  Pier 31-35  subarea.
• Inundate the westbound lanes of the Embarcadero, as well as Muni surface tracks, impacting vehicle traffic, bike routes, truck traffic, bus routes, pedestrian access to the shoreline, tourism, and historic streetcar service (Muni E-Line and F-Line).
• Impact unique maritime and historic assets such as the Beltline Railroad Complex and Fog City Diner.
• Impact disaster response services due to inundation of the Embarcadero and of several staging areas on the landside of the Embarcadero.
• Inundate Pier 7, Northeast Wharf Plaza, the Embarcadero Promenade, and a portion of the Bay Trail, disrupting open space, mobility, and recreational opportunities.

This map shows the flood impacts for the Northeast Waterfront subarea when considering the City’s Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Zone.

The City’s Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Zone covers areas that will likely face future flooding and inundation in a 100-year coastal flood combined with 66 inches of sea level rise. This is a high-end scenario projected by the end of the century. Projects within the Zone must include sea level rise adaptation strategies to support the increased resilience of San Francisco’s communities, but they are not usually required to build that level of flood risk reduction now. Rather, they must demonstrate approaches to adapt to that flood level at a later time.

Under this scenario, significant areas of Northeast Waterfront could be flooded. Most of the subarea shoreline would be overtopped, including Pier 9, Pier 15 / 17, Pier 19, Pier 23, and Pier 27 (the James R. Herman Cruise Terminal), if flood protection or adaptation actions are not implemented. Impacts to these piers could create cascading impacts to ferry traffic and container ship traffic to the Ports of Oakland and Stockton, as well as impacts to water-based response to regional emergencies.

In addition to severe flooding throughout the Port’s waterfront under this scenario, a portion of the Financial District would be inundated. Flooding within the Northeast Waterfront would also extend into the  Pier 31-35  and  Ferry Building  subareas. 

The Port and the City are also considering the H++ Scenario in the  State of California’s most recent Sea Level Rise Guidance (2018) . The H++ Scenario (shown in magenta) represents the area that could be inundated by 2100 if global ice sheets melt much faster than currently anticipated.

Interested in learning more about what the Port is considering to mitigate flooding and sea level rise? Visit the  Measures Explorer  page to read about specific strategies for adapting San Francisco's waterfront.

Given the specific impacts of earthquakes, flooding, and future sea level rise, what is at stake in the Northeast Waterfront?

The following maps detail important disaster response resources, transportation services, maritime industries, public utilities, parks, historical and cultural resources, and critical facilities located in the Northeast Waterfront.

In the Northeast Waterfront, access to recreation and historic resources are likely to be impacted by a seismic or flood event. Residents and visitors move through this subarea to get to work, nearby attractions, or as part of recreational use along the waterfront. Access to and use of popular sites such as the Exploratorium will be disrupted and damage to the piers and bulkhead buildings will disrupt access to and use of the waterfront as well as uses along the waterfront. 

Damage to the historic bulkhead buildings and piers will also affect the integrity of the Embarcadero Historic District. Flooding and earthquakes will also damage and disrupt the Embarcadero Roadway, the Embarcadero Promenade, and the utilities within the Embarcadero corridor. As sea level rises, residents who live in the Northeast Waterfront subarea will be affected by the rising bay. Earthquakes, flooding, and future sea level rise could cause disruptions in public access along this part of the waterfront.

Keep scrolling to learn more about how particular places and services in the Northeast Waterfront could be impacted by these risks.

In the event of a natural disaster, the Northeast Waterfront provides several key response and recovery services. These include:

• Piers 15 / 17, Pier 19, and Pier 27 all have large vessel berths available to accommodate emergency response ships.
• Three staging areas for supplies, resources, equipment, and emergency, with plans to add a staging area.  
• The Emergency Operations Center for the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) and the Bar Pilot Headquarters are located at Pier 9. WETA is responsible for coordinating the water transit response in regional emergencies, and the Bar Pilots navigate all large vessels into and out of San Francisco Bay safely, including container ships destined for the Ports of Oakland and Stockton . Along with the Bay Delta Maritime Tugboat dock at Pier 15/17, these facilities and services are important in response and recovery efforts.

The Embarcadero Roadway is a critical emergency route that runs through the Northeast Waterfront subarea and is an important part of being able to support immediate and long-term disaster recovery by helping move people and emergency equipment and resources through the area. 

Click on the yellow dots on the map to learn more about disaster response services in the Northeast Waterfront.

The Embarcadero is a major roadway that runs through the Northeast Waterfront and helps connect it to the rest of the city. The Embarcadero Promenade and San Francisco Bay Trail also run through the Northeast Waterfront as key routes.

The Northeast Waterfront is also served by several forms of local and regional public transit, including:

• Muni’s historic streetcars. The F-Line operates on Market Street, while the E-Line runs along the Embarcadero. Both have sections of their tracks separated from the regular auto traffic for a dedicated streetcar right-of-way.
• Muni, which has 33 bus stops in the subarea.
• Golden Gate Transit, which provides regional service to Marin County. 
• Bicycle lanes.

Click the blue dots of the map to explore the transportation network options that help get people to, from, and around the Northeast Waterfront. 

Most of the piers in the Northeast Waterfront are part of the Port’s Embarcadero Historic District, which is included on the National Register of Historic Places and listed in the California Register of Historical Resources. 

Facilities and services that continue this maritime heritage include:

• The Headquarters for the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), which is responsible for coordinating the water transit response in regional emergencies, located at Pier 9. 
• The San Francisco Bar Pilots, located at Pier 9, which serve an essential role in directing the navigation of commercial vessels weighing over 800 gross tons, such as container ships and oil tankers, to ports and docks throughout the Bay Area, including the Ports of Oakland and Stockdown. It supports the navigation of more than 9,000 vessels through the bay each year, and its location on the northern waterfront is important both for regional trade and emergency response efforts.
• The James R. Herman Cruise Terminal Plaza, located at Pier 27, which serves as the Port’s primary cruise terminal and can handle ships with up to 4,000 passengers. 
• The Bay Delta Maritime Tugboat dock at Pier 15/17, which can be used as part of emergency response and recovery efforts. 
• Large vessel berths at Pier 15/17, Pier 19, and Pier 27.

Click on blue dots to learn more about the maritime facilities and services in the Northeast Waterfront. 

Draft guiding principles of the Waterfront Resilience Program include creating opportunities to enhance and expand open space, increasing free public access to the waterfront, restoring habitats, and offering education.

In addition to the Embarcadero Promenade and the San Francisco Bay Trail, a waterfront walking and cycling path around the entire bay that runs through all nine counties, popular outdoor spots in the Northeast Waterfront include:

• Telegraph Hill and Pioneer Park.
• The Exploratorium, located at Pier 15/17, a participatory science museum for all ages that also offers public areas and displays inside and outside of the museum along the bay.
• The public pier at Pier 7.
• Pier 23 Café and the Waterfront Restaurant.
• The Northeast Wharf Plaza, a public park in front of the James R. Herman Cruise Terminal located at Pier 27.
• Levi Plaza across the Embarcadero from Piers 19 thru Pier 23. The plaza has fountains, trees, and a small Levi Strauss museum. Levi Plaza connects to Pioneer Park and the Coit Tower via the Filbert Steps.

Click the green dots on the map to learn more about the public sites, open parks, and waterfront spaces in the Northeast Waterfront.

San Francisco’s neighborhoods and businesses rely on buried and above ground infrastructure, such as wastewater and stormwater pipelines, power lines, and water distribution pipelines. Important utilities located and operated in the Northeast Waterfront include the:

• SFPUC Jackson Transport / Storage Box, which serves the wastewater and stormwater collection system. Along with the other transport / storage boxes, it can store 48 million gallons of rainwater to help reduce the risk of rainfall-driven flooding and prevent the Southeast Treatment Plant (located in the  Islais Creek  subarea) and North Point Wet-Weather Treatment Facility from exceeding their maximum treatment capacities.
• North Point Main - Sansome Tunnel, a 60-inch diameter tunnel originally constructed in 1911 that carries combined wastewater via gravity to the Jackson Transport / Storage Box.
• North Shore Force Main, a 36-inch steel pipe constructed in 1978 that carries flows from the North Shore pump station to the Channel pump station during dry weather.

Click the gray dots on the map to learn more about the city’s major utility infrastructure.

San Francisco defines critical facilities as those facilities or programs that are essential to recovery after a natural disaster. Examples include hospitals, medical centers, schools, and police stations. 

The Northeast Waterfront subarea has three schools that can serve as potential shelters during a natural disaster: Garfield Elementary School, John Yehall Chin Elementary School, and Edwin and Anita Lee Newcomer School.

Click on the red dots to learn more about the city’s critical facilities located in and near the Northeast Waterfront. 

Most of the piers in the Northeast Waterfront are part of the Port’s Embarcadero Historic District, which is included on the National Register of Historic Places and listed in the California Register of Historical Resources. 

Sites that add to the heritage and attractions of the Northeast Waterfront include:

• The Beltline Railroad Roundhouse Complex, the only building remaining in San Francisco that is part of the Belt Line Railroad. Every pier was connected to the railroad system when the Port of San Francisco was an active port.
• The Solari Building West, part of the Jackson Square Historic District and possibly the oldest building in the district. It was built in 1852 for the French wine firm, C. Lagauterie and Company.
• The Old Ghirardelli Building, opened in 1853 by Domingo Ghirardelli, with the chocolate factory on the first floor and his family residing in the second floor of this Italianate building. 
• The Langerman's Building / Belli Building, originally constructed in 1849 or 1850, was destroyed by a fire in 1851 but immediately rebuilt using the old walls and foundations. It still stands on the original raft of planks, which are six to eight inches thick and to a depth of eight feet, as a foundation in the mud that was then Yerba Buena Cove. It is said that the tides still rise and fall in the elevator shaft.
• Damage to bulkhead buildings and piers could affect the integrity of the Embarcadero Historic District. 

Click on the orange dots to learn more about the historical and cultural sites found in and near the Northeast Waterfront.

After assessing community priorities and specific seismic and flood risk in this subarea, the Port and its partners, including the City, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other key stakeholders, are currently reviewing potential strategies for addressing these challenges and adapting the waterfront to reduce risks and meet the needs, priorities, and visions of the community over time. The Port has begun to identify measures, or specific strategies for adapting San Francisco's waterfront in the face of earthquakes, flooding, and future sea level rise. Visit the  Measures Explorer  to learn more. 

Thank you for reviewing the Waterfront Resilience Story Map for the Northeast Waterfront. To view more detailed information about this subarea, click on the technical documents below.

•  Subarea Profile 
•  Flood Risk Profiles 
•  Problems, Opportunities, Objectives, Constraints, and Considerations (POOCC) Fact Sheet