From Green Streets to Clean Water: County of San Diego Planning and Implementation of Green Infrastructure Projects

To support the development of more green infrastructure in San Diego County, and to assist in meeting ambitious stormwater pollutant load reduction targets, the County Board of Supervisors voted to fund and develop the Green Streets Clean Water (GSCW) Plan. The plan was developed to identify locations for candidate projects within the County right-of-way that provide a high level of pollutant removal potential while optimizing environmental and community benefits, improving cost-effectiveness, leveraging existing guidance to make projects easier to implement, and to distribute green infrastructure benefits across multiple watersheds and communities. The plan applied a three-step process to identify and prioritize projects. First, prioritizing high-need locations within the County on a drainage area basis by analyzing potential water quality and community benefits. Next, identifying the best suited treatment systems or Best Management Practices for each of the prioritized catchment areas. Finally, using a triple bottom line scoring approach to evaluate the benefits of each potential project, and rank them according to overall benefit. The plan sets the stage for the County to develop up to 85 green infrastructure projects within the unincorporated County. Outreach and engagement were a key element of the planning process, both externally through public workshops, and internally through a multi- program and department advisory committee. The County implemented a multi-faceted outreach program that included: development of a dedicated website and informational video (in both English and Spanish), a social media and advertising campaign to share information on the plan’s development, surveys to gather needed input (in six languages), and regular opportunities for stakeholders to provide input. The GSCW Plan was finalized in March 2022, and is w in the implementation phases, with the first projects in preliminary engineering design. This presentation will highlight some of the projects to be developed as a result of this plan, as well as other green infrastructure projects that were conceived prior to the plan’s development through other planning techniques, describing some of the challenges experienced in implementing green infrastructure projects. After this session, participants will be better able to:
-Identify elements needed to build a watershed scale Green Streets Plan including scoring and prioritization schemes
-Establish a process for active stakeholder engagement tailored for this effort
-Discuss the importance and the challenges encountered in green infrastructures projects