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One of the completed rain gardens on San Pablo Avenue, July 2010
Photo by Lisa Owens Viani
First rain garden under construction, March 2010
Photo by Jerry Kay
Concrete forms are first poured at Madison and San Pablo Avenue. Soil and plants added later.
Photo by Sarah Pearce
The El Cerrito Green Streets rain gardens are under construction (Spring 2010). They will detain and treat stormwater runoff to remove pesticides, PCBs, mercury, and copper that would otherwise flow into San Francisco Bay. The rain gardens will be integrated into existing sidewalks and on-street parking areas. Curb cuts will direct stormwater into vegetated treatment basins that will treat runoff from 1.23 acres of impervious surface, with an estimated treatment volume-area of 20,700 cubic feet. The plants in the rain gardens will filter pollutants, while sediment in the runoff will drop out. To evaluate the effectiveness of the rain gardens, the San Francisco Estuary Institute will monitor water quality before and after stormwater flows in and through the rain gardens. This highly-visible, urban retrofit project ties in to the city's federally-funded Streetscape project and efforts to build high-density, pedestrian-oriented development along State Route 123—at San Pablo Avenue and Eureka Avenue, and San Pablo Avenue and Madison Avenue.
Here are some innovative "green streets" projects in San Francisco. Although not specifically designed to treat stormwater, Plant SF's projects create more permeable surface, let the ground breathe, and help with flooding problems in San Francisco.
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Funding for this project has been provided in full or in part by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund through an agreement with the State Water Resources Control Board. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the State Water Resources Control Board, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. (Gov. Code Section 7550, 40 CFR Section 31.20.)
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