Photo Credits: Micha Salomon (L), Dee Shea Himes (R)
The Healthy Watersheds Resilient Baylands project will enhance resilience to climate change through the implementation of several multi-benefit environmental projects by the San Francisco Estuary
Photo Credits: Micha Salomon (L), Dee Shea Himes (R)
The Healthy Watersheds Resilient Baylands project will enhance resilience to climate change through the implementation of several multi-benefit environmental projects by the San Francisco Estuary Partnership, SFEI, and 15 other organizations. The project has two major components: Multi-benefit Urban Greening and Tidal Wetlands Restoration. Through both components, we are developing science-based strategies that inform the design of innovative implementation projects. By building cutting-edge science into land management approaches, we will demonstrate how green infrastructure and tidal wetlands redesign can improve water quality and ecological resilience in cities, creeks and downstream baylands. Once installed, urban greening projects will reduce stormwater runoff in the cities of Sunnyvale, Mountain View, and East Palo Alto. In addition, construction of a horizontal levee through partnership with the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project and realignment of Calabazas and San Tomas Aquino creeks through partnership with the Santa Clara Valley Water District will create transition zone habitat and reconnect watersheds to the baylands, reducing flood risk and delivering necessary sediment to marshes.
Multi-benefit Urban Greening
|Photo Credit: Dee Shea Himes|
Over the past few decades, interest in greening our cities has grown dramatically following two major developments. Scientific evidence from around the world is showing that despite their reputation as biological deserts, cities support a surprising amount of biodiversity, much of it thriving unnoticed in our midst. This finding has led to the recognition that cities can benefit nature, and that helping nature can be good for people too. In addition, green infrastructure and trees have proven very effective at reducing runoff to stormwater systems, leading to widespread installation along streets and in parking lots. As cities continue to upgrade and green their infrastructure, an opportunity has emerged to achieve better ecological outcomes alongside benefits for people and stormwater. However, to capitalize on this opportunity will require developing coordinated strategies that are regional in scope and that can address how to integrate ecological benefits with other ecosystem services.
In partnership with the Peninsula Open Space Trust, we are creating a forward-looking, comprehensive strategy for Silicon Valley that integrates water quality benefits with multiple ecological functions to achieve greater ecological resilience. To develop the strategy, we are synthesizing scientific evidence from around the world to develop guidance for how integrated actions can maximize benefits for water quality and biodiversity. Drawing on this guidance, we are identifying opportunities across the region to improve habitat and connectivity and creating recommendations for how to coordinate urban greening activities so that they are synergistic. In addition, we are building links between stormwater management and urban ecological improvements by evaluating how complementary urban greening activities, including green infrastructure and urban tree canopy, can be integrated and improved to reduce runoff and contaminant loads in stormwater systems.
The science-based guidance developed through this project will be used to shape three key implementation projects for stormwater management and urban greening:
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