Environment

How regenerative landscaping is transforming Petaluma with help from San Francisco Estuary Partnership grant

Petaluma Water
Alexis Gabriel photo

Funding from the San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP) through a state grant is bringing a focus on water conservation in the North Bay.

The City of Petaluma, like many cities in California and across the United States, has been impacted by climate change. Over the past four years, it has experienced extreme drought. In 2020, Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma reached historic lows and only through a community-wide commitment to reducing water was the city able to recover its water supply and rescind its Local Drought Emergency Proclamation and the City’s Water Shortage Contingency Plan. 

Petaluma Water
Ben Botkin photo

With this memory close at hand, Petaluma continues to reap the seeds of its residents' commitment to re-imagining how they use water. Step in Daily Acts.

Daily Acts, with its mission to inspire transformative action that creates connected, equitable climate resilient communities, with partial funding from the San Francisco Estuary Partnership’s Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) grant, has developed a program to support micro changes that make a big impact. Last week, an SFEP/IRWM team went on a tour led by Daily Acts to visit some of their sites focused on highlighting regenerative landscaping. 

Water Saving Projects

Daily Acts, partnering with the Land Resilience Partnership, is installing 60 water-saving projects in Petaluma through its Land Resilience Partnership Program. These projects include providing residents with technical expertise and onsite tools and support to install rainwater catchment systems, rain gardens and bioswales, greywater reuse systems, turf conversions, drip irrigation conversions and to help plant habitat and shade trees.

Led by Program Director Brianna Schaefer and Land Resilience Partnership Program Coordinators Morgan Margulies and Cody Darling, a multi-site tour to residents' homes, schools and parks showcased water saving projects in action. 

Site visit – McKinley School

The sound of children laughing and playing provided a subtle background during the tour of the regenerative landscaping changes to McKinley School. On the grounds were three newly installed rain tanks that store up to 8,000 gallons of water onsite to be used for watering the school grounds. Since the water saving improvements have been implemented, water usage at the school has gone from 101,063 gallons to 19,323 gallons annually, leading to large water savings for the school. 

Just steps away from the rain tanks are an assortment of native plants that buzz with activity as butterflies and bees dart from flower to flower. These beautiful plants actually absorb less water than the open field covered with grass adjacent to it. 

“Through thoughtful and sustained engagement with school administrators, maintenance staff, teachers, parents, and students, we can lay the groundwork for long-term stewardship of the schoolgrounds water-wise garden installations,” Margulies said.

Petaluma Water
Ben Botkin photo

La Tercera Elementary School 

The next stop at La Tercera School shares many of the same water efficiency tools, with some major changes. A portion of its school yard containing rolling hills perfect for sitting down and relaxing are covered with fresh layers of dirt and mulch with the anticipation of planting next month.  At this site, the Daily Acts team is working with the principal, the school maintenance staff, teachers and students are also involved in the process. Through a series of class presentations, students provide feedback that is used to make tangible changes that they will see in the garden over the next couple of months. Although the water saving installation is still in progress, the elements that have been activated have already reduced water usage by 276,331 gallons annually.

Miwok Valley Charter School/Miwok Park 

The last site visit on the tour was Miwok Valley Charter School and Miwok Park. This location told another significant story about the importance of building drought and heat-resistance green spaces as well as the importance of joint landscaping. The Miwok Park and Miwok School, which are directly adjacent to each other, have a trail of native plants that appear on both properties. The area originally planted without a fence, before a dog incident encouraged its placement, shows a connectivity that is both visually appealing and water efficient. The green space between them freckled with color coded native plants and pollinators that match the school’s colors, serve to reduce flooding and is more durable during times of heat and drought. During heavy rainfall, the underground French drain placed next to this area helps to syphon water away. 

Petaluma Water
Alexis Gabriel photo

Closer to the soccer field on the school side, durable plants have been planted that are better up to the task of rough child’s play. At this location where the soil has a higher clay content, native plants were specifically selected to loosen the dirt creating a more permeable surface to absorb water and reduce park flooding on both areas in which native plants have been placed. This project, like all of these community projects, is only possible through collaboration. The team works closely with the parks department, city planners, the school and an array of community volunteers to create these multi-benefit spaces.

Whether helping residents with technical assistance to help them understand and take actionable small lifestyle changes needed to make the shift or working with various partners to install these essential water efficient systems, Daily Acts is making an impact in Petaluma and beyond. Its site-specific approach also encourages cities to change their policies to lower barriers for implementing local green changes. The San Francisco Estuary Partnership is proud to help fund and support this significant work. 

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The Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) program works with local project sponsors across the State of California on multiple benefit projects that improve water quality, provide better flood management, restore and enhance ecosystems, and increase reliable surface and groundwater supplies. IRWM is a program of the Department of Water Resources. The San Francisco Estuary Partnership is the Bay Area region’s grant administrator for the program. The San Francisco Estuary Partnership is a program of the U.S. EPA’s National Estuary Program. It sits within the Association of Bay Area Governments and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

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