GREEN STREETS CLEAN WATER PLAN

About the Program

Category: County Resiliency (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

The County of San Diego created and is implementing its Green Streets Clean Water Plan to advance green infrastructure and meet aggressive stormwater quality compliance requirements. The plan focuses on areas with a high level of pollution for projects within County rights-of-way. These locations help us optimize environmental and community benefits, save costs, improve efficiencies and benefit multiple watersheds and communities. The process to identify and prioritize projects on a drainage area basis included analyzing potential water quality and community benefits and identifying the best suited treatment systems for each of the prioritized catchment areas. Using a triple bottom line approach, projects were ranked according to overall benefit provided. The plan positions the County to develop projects in up to 85 opportunity areas in the unincorporated County. Robust involvement of community members and internal stakeholders aided the planning process. All were engaged in the process through a dedicated website, informational video in English and Spanish, a social media and advertising campaign, surveys conducted in six languages, and regular opportunities for stakeholders to submit input.