Undertaking includes installation of rain gardens, pervious pavement and other improvements that will help manage 2.6 million gallons of stormwater each year
San Francisco, CA –The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) today celebrated the completion of the Baker Beach Green Streets project, a series of green infrastructure improvements that will help manage 2.6 million gallons of stormwater in the City’s Sea Cliff neighborhood.
“Green infrastructure projects like Baker Beach Green Streets represent the future of San Francisco,” said SFPUC General Manager Harlan L. Kelly, Jr. “They help manage our stormwater more efficiently and sustainably, while also making our communities more connected and livable.”
The project has created two new green streets along El Camino Del Mar and Sea Cliff Avenue, improving community spaces and accessibility while helping to ease the burden on the City’s combined sewer network.
The green infrastructure technologies featured in the project include rain gardens—including one at the entrance to the California Coastal Trail at 25th Avenue North—subsurface infiltration galleries and pervious concrete, collectively helping to harvest stormwater, diverting it away from the sewer and protecting nearby water bodies.
Overall, the features completed as part of the Baker Beach Green Streets account for 6,746 square feet of rain gardens, 10,347 square feet of infiltration galleries, and 5,475 square feet of permeable concrete.
Along with the positive impacts those changes will have on the City’s sewer system, the project includes bulbouts—which will help to calm traffic and enhance bicycle and pedestrian safety—while providing water and sewer improvements, and roadway reconstruction along Sea Cliff Avenue.
To implement all the improvements, the SFPUC partnered with the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department (RPD), the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and San Francisco Public Works.
Green infrastructure projects are a crucial element of the SFPUC’s Sewer System Improvement Program, a 20-year citywide investment to upgrade and improve the City’s sewer system. SFPUC’s green infrastructure projects, along with innovative private projects developed through the Stormwater Management Ordinance, could potentially result in the capture of 1 billion gallons of stormwater using green infrastructure by 2050.
Last year, the SFPUC announced the launch of its Green Infrastructure Grant Program, a funding initiative available for both public and private properties in San Francisco for projects that manage stormwater runoff from a minimum impervious area of 0.5 acres. Residents can visit sfwater.org/gigrants to learn more about the program and download the grant application.
The SFPUC’s green infrastructure program was spurred on by the City’s Stormwater Management Ordinance, a groundbreaking initiative to more efficiently capture and store the City’s rainwater. That program recently marked its 10-year anniversary.
About the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is a department of the City and County of San Francisco. It delivers drinking water to 2.7 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area, collects and treats wastewater for the City and County of San Francisco, and generates clean power for municipal buildings, residential customers, and businesses. Our mission is to provide our customers with high quality, efficient and reliable water, power, and sewer services in a manner that values environmental and community interests and sustains the resources entrusted to our care.
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