The Problem
We have a campus built on top of a creek that has been diverted to storm drains. We want to use swales and berms to daylight the creek once called Arroyo Sacatella with native plants with the aim of recreating the natural habitat that once existed on our site. Beyond this, we want to create more permeable surfaces, sink water into our soil to reduce our water consumption for irrigation, and raise the awareness of the community to this naturally occurring and under-utilized resource with the hope that we will inspire similar projects along the path of the now buried creek.
Our Plan
We have already begun mapping our the contours of our campus to find the path of water drainage. Our garden lies directly in the path of the creek that existed at the turn of the 20th century, so the next phase will be creating a series of swales in our garden to capture the water. We will also begin a series of smaller projects to alleviate flooding problems on campus with the use of rain barrels, curb cuts, and rain gardens. Next year, he hope to have the partnerships and funding in place to expand the daylighting of Arroyo Sacatella, create more permeable surfaces, and install a cistern to reduce our water consumption in drought stricken California.
