Green Infrastructure Planning for North Richmond Pump Station Watershed with Green Plan-IT

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | November 1st, 2018

Contra Costa County and the City of Richmond, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP), are required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructu

Contra Costa County and the City of Richmond, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP), are required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructure (GI) Master Plan to reduce mercury and PCB loads in stormwater runoff from each jurisdiction. This project used GreenPlan-IT, a planning tool developed by the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) and regional partners, to identify feasible and cost-effective GI locations within the North Richmond Pump Station watershed (an unincorporated community of Contra Costa County and partial jurisdiction of the City of Richmond) to support the development of GI Plans for permit compliance. 

Green Infrastructure Planning for the City of Oakland with GreenPlan-IT

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | July 2nd, 2018

The City of Oakland, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP), is required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructure (GI) Master Plan to red

The City of Oakland, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP), is required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructure (GI) Master Plan to reduce stormwater mercury and PCB loads. This project used GreenPlan-IT, a planning tool developed by the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) and regional partners, to identify feasible and cost-effective GI locations within the City boundary to support the development of GI Plans for permit compliance.  GreenPlan-IT comprises four distinct tools: (a) a GIS-based Site Locator Tool that combines the physical properties of different GI types with local and regional GIS information to identify and rank potential GI locations; (b) a Modeling Tool that is built on SWMM5 to establish baseline conditions and quantify anticipated runoff and pollutant load reductions from GI implementation; (c) an Optimization Tool that uses an evolutionary algorithm to identify the best combinations of GI types and numbers of sites within a study area for achieving flow and load reduction goals; and (d) a Tracker Tool that tracks GI implementation and reports the cumulative programmatic outcomes for regulatory compliance and other communication needs. 

Green Infrastructure Planning for the City of Richmond with GreenPlan-IT

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | November 1st, 2018

The City of Richmond, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP), is required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructure (GI) Master Plan to re

The City of Richmond, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP), is required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructure (GI) Master Plan to reduce stormwater mercury and PCB loads. This project used GreenPlan-IT, a planning tool developed by the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) and regional partners, to identify feasible and cost-effective GI locations within the City boundary to support the development of GI Plans for permit compliance.  GreenPlan-IT comprises four distinct tools: (a) a GIS-based Site Locator Tool that combines the physical properties of different GI types with local and regional GIS information to identify and rank potential GI locations; (b) a Modeling Tool that is built on SWMM5 to establish baseline conditions and quantify anticipated runoff and pollutant load reductions from GI implementation; (c) an Optimization Tool that uses an evolutionary algorithm to identify the best combinations of GI types and numbers of sites within a study area for achieving flow and load reduction goals; and (d) a Tracker Tool that tracks GI implementation and reports the cumulative programmatic outcomes for regulatory compliance and other communication needs. 

Green Infrastructure Planning for the City of Sunnyvale with GreenPlan-IT

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | July 2nd, 2018

The City of Sunnyvale, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP),is required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructure (GI) Master Plan to re

The City of Sunnyvale, via the San Francisco Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP),is required to develop and implement a Green Infrastructure (GI) Master Plan to reduce stormwater mercury and PCB loads. This project used GreenPlan-IT, a planning tool developed by the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) and regional partners, to identify feasible and cost-effective GI locations within the City boundary to support the development of GI Plans for permit compliance.  GreenPlan-IT comprises four distinct tools: (a) a GIS-based Site Locator Tool that combines the physical properties of different GI types with local and regional GIS information to identify and rank potential GI locations; (b) a Modeling Tool that is built on SWMM5 to establish baseline conditions and quantify anticipated runoff and pollutant load reductions from GI implementation; (c) an Optimization Tool that uses an evolutionary algorithm to identify the best combinations of GI types and numbers of sites within a study area for achieving flow and load reduction goals; and (d) a Tracker Tool that tracks GI implementation and reports the cumulative programmatic outcomes for regulatory compliance and other communication needs. 

Green Light for Adaptive Policies on the Colorado River

Water (MDPI) | December 21st, 2021

The Colorado River is a critical source of water supply for 40 million people in nine states spanning two nations in western North America. Overallocated in the 20th cent

The Colorado River is a critical source of water supply for 40 million people in nine states spanning two nations in western North America. Overallocated in the 20th century, its problems have been compounded by climate change in the 21st century. We review the basin’s hydrologic and water management history in order to identify opportunities for adaptive governance to respond to the challenge of reduced system flows and distill the ingredients of past successes. While significant advances have been made in the first two decades of the 21st century, these past actions have not been sufficient to halt the declines in the basin’s reservoirs. We find that the mix of federal, state, and local responsibility creates challenges for adaptation but that progress can be made through a combination of detailed policy option development followed by quick action at hydrologically driven moments of opportunity. The role of directives and deadlines from federal authorities in facilitating difficult compromises is noted. The current state of dramatically decreased overall flows has opened a window of opportunity for the adoption of water management actions that move the river system toward sustainability. Specific measures, based on the existing institutional framework and on policy proposals that have circulated within the Colorado River community, are suggested.

Green Plan-IT Application Report for the East Bay Corridors Initiative

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | November 1st, 2018

Regional planning of Green Infrastructure (GI) is an important aspect of building in or retrofitting GI and other green spaces across municipal jurisdictions. This level

Regional planning of Green Infrastructure (GI) is an important aspect of building in or retrofitting GI and other green spaces across municipal jurisdictions. This level of planning allows for GI to be implemented according to natural boundaries and builds important partnerships across municipalities. The East Bay Corridors Initiative is a unique partnership across 13 jurisdictions, county and regional agencies, as well as community groups and businesses to plan new housing, create job opportunities, and improve parks and streets with linkages to essential services (ABAG 2016). The Initiative covers a large swath of the East Bay of San Francisco Bay, CA from Rodeo in the North to Union City in the South and focuses on Priority Development Areas (PDAs) and transportation linkages. In addition to the above focus, the Initiative will also look at opportunities for GI implementation across the Corridor. The Resilience priority within the Initiative focuses on sustainable infrastructure including regional GI implementation, green streets, and stormwater/flooding mitigation (ABAG 2016). The objective of this project was to use GreenPlan-IT, a planning tool developed by the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI), to identify feasible GI locations within the East Bay Corridor footprint. Results from the application of the Site Locator Tool will be used to: 1) identify potential green infrastructure projects for the Corridor’s sustainable infrastructure planning efforts, including the development of information for municipal and regional GI Master Plans and Stormwater Resources Plans; and 2) potentially help comply with municipal Stormwater Permit requirements.  GreenPlan-IT is a planning level tool that was developed over the past five years with strong Bay Area stakeholder consultation and designed to support the cost-effective selection and placement of green infrastructure in urban watersheds through a combination of GIS analysis, watershed modeling, optimization techniques, and data visualization. Structurally, GreenPlan-IT comprises four standalone tools: (a) a GIS-based Site Locator Tool that combines the physical properties of different GI types with local and regional GIS information to identify and rank potential GI locations; (b) a Modeling Tool that is built on EPA’s SWMM5 (Rossman, 2010) to establish baseline conditions and quantify anticipated runoff and pollutant load reductions from GI sites; (c) an Optimization Tool that uses a cost-benefit analysis to identify the best combinations of GI types and number of sites within a study area for achieving flow and/or load reduction goals; and (d) a tracker tool that is used to track GI implementation and report the cumulative programmatic outcomes for regulatory compliance and other communication needs. The Toolkit package, consisting of the software, companion user manuals, and demonstration report, is available on the GreenPlan-IT web site hosted by SFEI. 

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculator for the Water Sector: User’s Manual

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) | September 24th, 2013

The Santa Ana Watershed Basin Study (Basin Study) is a collaborative effort by the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA) and the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamatio

The Santa Ana Watershed Basin Study (Basin Study) is a collaborative effort by the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA) and the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), authorized under the Sustain and Manage America's Resources for Tomorrow SECURE Water Act (Title IX, Subtitle F of Public Law 111-11). The Basin Study complements SAWPA’s Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) planning process, also known as their “One Water One Watershed” (OWOW) Plan. It refines the watershed’s water projections, and identifies potential adaptation strategies, in light of projected effects of climate change. The Climate Change Analysis for the Santa Ana River Watershed (SARW) is a contributing section to the Basin Study. The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Calculator was developed as a tool to support the Climate Change Analysis. It was developed to evaluate mitigation strategies, while the Climate Change Analysis focused primarily on adaption and vulnerability analysis. Development of the tool began in 2012 and was completed in August 2013. This report explains the methods used to develop the calculator and provides instructions on how to use it by introducing examples. The examples focus on the SARW to show how to develop a GHG emissions baseline, evaluate what it would take to meet specific GHG emission reduction goals, and illustrate how the GHG Emissions Calculator can be used to analyze projects. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the project, a literature review, and a summary of California’s GHG legislation. The methods used in the GHG Emissions Calculator can be found in Chapter 2. A guide showing users what data is needed and how to enter that data can be found in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 provides an introduction to the SARW, the GHG emission baseline for the SARW, discusses varies scenarios to reduce GHG emissions, and compares those reduction scenarios. In Chapter 5 SAWPA’s 20 finalist for the Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) funding were analyzed using the GHG Emissions Calculator. The GHG Emission Calculator is a decision-making tool that can be used to explore the links between water resources, energy, and GHG emissions. It can be used to determine water supply and energy demands for the study area, in addition to GHG emissions from 1990 to 2050. It can be used to analyze a study area ranging from a city block to an entire watershed, regardless of the level of detailed data available. The GHG Emissions calculator is a vital tool for decision makers when developing water supply plans for the future. It is also equipped to evaluate long term GHG emission reduction potential for new projects that will alter the water supply portfolio.

Greenhouse gas emissions from US irrigation pumping and implications for climate-smart irrigation policy

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | January 23rd, 2024

GreenPlan-IT Tracker

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | June 14th, 2018

This technical memo describes the purpose, functions, and structure associated with the newest addition to the GreenPlan-IT Toolset, the GreenPlan-IT Tracker. It also sh

This technical memo describes the purpose, functions, and structure associated with the newest addition to the GreenPlan-IT Toolset, the GreenPlan-IT Tracker. It also shares the opportunities for further enhancement and how the tool can operate in concert with existing resources. Furthermore, this memo describes a licensing plan that would permit municipalities to use the tool in an ongoing way that scales to their needs. The memo concludes with a provisional roadmap for the development of future features and technical details describing the tool’s platform and data structures. About the GreenPlan-IT Toolkit Municipalities across the state and beyond are carefully planning and implementing green infrastructure in their developed landscape to restore key aspects of the natural water cycle. Green infrastructure helps to achieve stormwater attenuation and contaminant filtration by increasing the pervious surfaces in often sophisticated ways. Additionally, green infrastructure features, as city dwellers have come to realize, demonstrate multiple benefits in addition to improving surface porosity, such as peak, volume, and load reductions, urban heat island mitigation, traffic calming, carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat, natural aesthetics, and others. The benefits are substantial, but so are the potential costs. GreenPlan-IT helps planners to make smart decisions in the types and locations of green infrastructure, minimizing effort and cost while maximizing the effectiveness of the public and private investments. GreenPlan-IT modules are focused on green infrastructure planning and assessment, including the Site Locator Tool, Modeler, and Optimizer tools. Together the modular toolkit can be used to take a city from a position of not knowing where to consider GI placement (a daunting position given the MRP C3 and C11/12 requirements), to a plan that includes a list and map of feasible locations and a map of baseline flow and pollutant load conditions, and a selected optimal set of placement locations for achieving flow and load reductions at minimal cost. Now, with the advent of the GreenPlan-IT Tracker, there is also a web based tracker for quantifying and communicating the locations, types, and treatment areas of GI installations (the outputs of all the planning efforts) and quantifying the peak flows, volumes, and loads reduced (the outcomes of all the implementation and cost expenditure that the community is asking for).

Ground water and climate change

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | November 25th, 2012

As the world's largest distributed store of fresh water, ground water plays a central part in sustaining ecosystems and enabling human adaptation to climate variability a

As the world's largest distributed store of fresh water, ground water plays a central part in sustaining ecosystems and enabling human adaptation to climate variability and change. The strategic importance of ground water for global water and food security will probably intensify under climate change as more frequent and intense climate extremes (droughts and floods) increase variability in precipitation, soil moisture and surface water. Here we critically review recent research assessing the impacts of climate on ground water through natural and human-induced processes as well as through groundwater-driven feedbacks on the climate system. Furthermore, we examine the possible opportunities and challenges of using and sustaining groundwater resources in climate adaptation strategies, and highlight the lack of groundwater observations, which, at present, limits our understanding of the dynamic relationship between ground water and climate.