San Francisco Internation airport is sinking, fast. That’s according to new research, being presented at the American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco this week.   SFO’s runways are sinking approximately 0.4 inches per year, the fastest among 15 coastal U.S. airports surveyed in new research from Virginia Tech. The research, which utilized submillimeter satellite imagery, found that Los Angeles International Airport’s runways are sinking at roughly 0.1 inches per year, the slowest among the measured locations.

Subsidence, or sinking, can cause cracking and bulging on runways, a major hazard for aircraft while taking off and landing. SFO isn’t vulnerable to this cracking, but as the water level rises in nearby San Francisco Bay, the airport could be at risk in about 40 years, according to lead researcher Oluwaseyi Dasho, an environmental hazard specialist at Virginia Tech.

They don't mention why SFO runways are not vulnerable to cracking.  That would have been helpful since they are mostly landfill to begin with.  For those keeping track at home 0.4 inches per year for 40 years is 16 inches–that's some speed bump at 120 mph or more.  And then there is the "seawall" project.

Airport revenue will pay for the $590 million Shoreline Protection Program, a seawall that will shield the airport from some storm surge and future sea-level rise impacts. Project construction is scheduled to begin in 2025.

We have our very own Hans Brinker effort going on although it would probably be wiser to emulate Tokyo or Denver and just start working on an adjacent airport out in the East Bay–maybe the Silicon Valley investors hoping to build a new city in Solano County could spare a few hundred acres.  Back in real time, our Rep. Kevin Mullin has reintroduced some of the same legislation that Jackie Speier logged as noted here.  The specifics of the two most important pieces are:

Reps. Panetta, Eshoo, Mullin, Cárdenas, and Sherman introduced the following pieces of legislation to ensure quieter skies:

The “Restore Everyone’s Sleep Tonight Act” or the “REST Act” (Panetta)

Legislation which would authorize an airport to impose an access restriction between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. for aircraft.

Reps. Panetta, Eshoo, and Mullin, all Bay Area members, introduced legislation specifically aimed at addressing issues with San Francisco International Airport (SFO):

The “Serious Noise Reduction Efforts Act” or the “SNORE Act” (Mullin)

Legislation that would address noise mitigation through soundproofing and other strategies in the communities surrounding San Francisco International Airport.

This acknowledgement about the noise from take-offs and landings in the press release shows a good understanding of our current situation

“This legislation requires the FAA to prioritize noise-related health impacts, enables communities to engage with the FAA, establishes standards related to ground-based noise".  We shall see if our local reps can muster any support in Congress.  I applaud the attempt.  Now put some juice behind it in DC.