San Francisco green infrastructure project recognized by EPA

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, NOV 16, 2018 -- The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's (SFPUC) Holloway Green Street Project has received an honorable mention award for excellence by the Environmental Protection Administration.

"This project is an example of how the SFPUC is using innovative practices to improve the efficiency of our stormwater system," said SFPUC General Manager Harlan L. Kelly, Jr. "It is an honor to receive this award from the EPA and to be recognized as a national leader in our field."

The Holloway Green Street Project, also known as the Lake Merced Green Infrastructure Project, is an eight-block undertaking that showcases San Francisco's first application of permeable concrete in the public right‐of way. Stretching from Ashton Avenue to Lee Avenue, the project features rain gardens that include native plants to receive, manage and treat stormwater that would have otherwise been diverted into San Francisco's combined sewer system.

The project was honored by the EPA's Performance Innovation in Creating Environmental Success (PISCES) award, which is given to projects that demonstrate excellence in water quality, public health and economic benefits, along with showcasing sustainability and innovative efforts. The Holloway Green Street Project was one of just 30 initiatives nationwide to be recognized with a PISCES award.

The Holloway Green Street Project is an example of the SFPUC's use of green infrastructure, a stormwater management tool that takes advantage of the natural processes of soils and plants to slow down and clean stormwater and keep it from overwhelming the City's sewer system. The Holloway Green Street project is one of eight early implementation green infrastructure projects being built across each of San Francisco's watersheds.

In addition to showcasing green infrastructure uses, the Holloway Green Street Project is part of the SFPUC's Sewer System Improvement Program (SSIP), a multibillion project to improve, upgrade and modernize the City's 100-year-old sewer system. The Holloway Green Street Project was the first SSIP initiative funded through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program. That program provided $7.4 million in funding, providing low-cost financing for the initiative that saved SFPUC ratepayers' money.

Earlier this year, the project received a San Francisco Collaborative Partnering Gold Award. That award honored the SFPUC for its exemplary work partnering with San Francisco Public Works on the undertaking.

Learn more at www.sfwater.org.