Terraforming Robots: Founder's Plan to Prevent City Flooding

Sinking Ground and a Novel Solution

Certain areas of San Rafael, a city situated north of San Francisco, are experiencing land subsidence at a rate of approximately half an inch annually. While seemingly minimal, this ongoing descent has resulted in some neighborhoods, such as the Canal District adjacent to the bay, sinking by as much as three feet. This increases their vulnerability to flooding as sea levels continue to rise.

Global Threat and Costly Defenses

San Rafael is not isolated in facing this challenge. Numerous cities worldwide are threatened by escalating sea levels, with an estimated 300 million individuals potentially exposed to frequent flooding by the year 2050. The financial burden of constructing seawalls to mitigate these risks could exceed $400 billion within the United States alone.

Terranova's Innovative Approach

A newly established company is proposing a different strategy: elevating the cities themselves.

Robotic Land Elevation

Terranova is developing robotic systems designed to inject a mixture comprised largely of wood waste into the ground. This process aims to gradually lift the land, correcting historical subsidence and, ideally, preventing future flooding in affected urban areas.

“The canal district is significantly below sea level,” explained Laurence Allen, co-founder and CEO of Terranova, in an interview with TechCrunch. He noted that the city had been collaborating with flood mitigation specialists to identify viable solutions.

Affordability Concerns

“The consistently proposed solution has involved seawalls costing between $500 million and $900 million, a sum that is financially unattainable for San Rafael,” Allen stated. He highlighted that the city has a population of around 60,000, with a substantial proportion of residents experiencing poverty, particularly when considered within the context of Marin County.

Cost-Effective Protection

Terranova asserts its method can safeguard San Rafael, and similar cities, at a considerably lower expense. Specifically, the startup has provided a quote of $92 million to elevate 240 acres by four feet.

Recent Funding

The company recently secured $7 million in seed funding, led by Congruent Ventures and Outlander, with additional investment from GoAhead Ventures, Gothams, and Ponderosa. This oversubscribed round has valued Terranova at $25.1 million, as exclusively reported by TechCrunch.

The Technology Behind the Lift

While land elevation through subsurface injection is not a new concept, Terranova believes its advancements offer a more economical approach.

Material and Delivery System

The core of their strategy lies in the use of inexpensive and readily available waste wood. This material is combined with undisclosed components to create a slurry. This mixture is then pumped from a 20-foot shipping container to a robotic injection system. These tracked robotic units operate autonomously, drilling wells to deliver the wood slurry to depths ranging from 40 to 60 feet.

Carbon Offset Potential

Provided the slurry remains saturated underground, the wood should not decompose, allowing Terranova to potentially generate revenue through carbon credits, according to Allen.

Data-Driven Injection Patterns

Terranova’s operations are managed by proprietary software. The system integrates publicly available geographic data with information gathered from core samples drilled across California, primarily obtained during water well construction. This data is used to create a subsurface model that informs the injection patterns, which are optimized using a genetic algorithm.

Virtual Landscape Sculpting

City planners, contractors, and other stakeholders can utilize a SimCity-like interface to virtually reshape the landscape.

Robotic Execution and Consolidation

Once plans are finalized, they guide the robotic injectors, specifying both injection locations and volumes. Human operators are present on-site for safety purposes, Allen clarified. Following injection, the slurry requires approximately two hours to consolidate.

Pilot Program

Terranova has been conducting tests of both the robots and software at a pilot site for over a year.

Addressing Earthquake Concerns

Although some experts have raised concerns about the potential for the consolidated wood slurry to amplify earthquake shocks, Allen contends that alternative solutions also carry inherent risks. “We believe it will actually improve resilience against earthquakes compared to dikes and seawalls.”

Revenue Model and Future Applications

The company intends to generate revenue by sharing project income with contractors. They anticipate that the cost-effectiveness of their process will make it appealing for a variety of land-lifting projects, extending beyond cities to include the restoration of disappearing wetlands due to subsidence or sea-level rise.

However, given the pressing nature of rising sea levels, Terranova prioritizes assisting cities. “I’m from San Rafael, born and raised,” Allen concluded. “My primary goal is to protect the city.”