The January Digest
The Bay Area Has a Stormwater Problem - How Can We Fix It?
Volume 99 | January 2023 | By Meghan Boyle
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When: January 21st 2023
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Where: 51st Street, Oakland, CA
Note: All free tickets have been claimed. Registration is still available for donation-based tickets.
Join Wholly H2O in the first Walking Waterhoods tour of 2023! We will uncover the hidden history and culture of the Temescal Neighborhood and rediscover the now-buried Temescal Creek in an exciting, eye-opening adventure. On this tour, you will learn all about the area's incredible history, from the Ohlone people to the former location of one of the largest canneries in the US! We will also be shedding light on the damage done by floodwaters in the region, and talk about how modern development has drastically altered the once-thriving biodiversity and beauty of the creek.
To sign up for this event, use this link or the "register" button above.
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What else are we up to? Wholly H2O regularly plans exciting environmental events throughout the year, including beach cleanups, walking tours, art projects, and nature observations (aka BioBlitzes). To view our future events, click the link here, or use the button below. If you'd like to stay tuned and get notifications about our events, feel free to use that same link to follow us on EventBrite!
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NEW PARTNERSHIP: EBMUD
Join us for a walking tour of Lafayette Reservoir, Jan 28th at 10am
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We are super excited to announce our partnership with the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), a water utility service located in Oakland. We will be cohosting super fun events like walking tours and bioblitzes with EBMUD's in honor of the 100-year anniversary of their founding in 1923.
Join EBMUD Ranger Staff and Wholly H20 on January 28, 2023 from 10 a.m. – 11:30 am. Discover the history that opened up the Reservoir from a closed watershed into a recreation space enjoyed by more than 1.4 million visitors each year. The walk will cover the history of the reservoir as an emergency drinking water supply, a recreation space, a cultural landmark, and will highlight local wildlife.
The walk will be 2.7 miles long. Please wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather. Bring your water bottle and binoculars for bird watching. Space is limited to 35 participants.
We're getting out in various EBMUD-managed watersheds each month, so don't miss a single Water Walk.
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NEW FISCAL SPONSOR: Inquiring Systems, Inc
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New year, new sponsor! Wholly H2O is proud to announce Inquiring Systems, Inc (ISI) as our new fiscal sponsor. ISI currently sponsors over 70 nonprofit organizations working towards a more sustainable future, and has been serving as an important resource for environmental organizations for 45 years. We are extremely grateful for their support and are excited to continue working to create a better Bay Area!
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The Problem With Stormwater |
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And how citizens like you can help! |
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Flooding in Northern California, Jan 2023. Reuters / Carlos Barria
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Happy New Year from Wholly H2O! The Bay Area’s start to 2023 has been a wet one, filled with historic flooding, intense thunderstorms, and even hail. California is swimming in water (literally) and it’s not only harming humans, but creeks and rivers too. As these unprecedented weather events continue to batter the state, natural waterways are being destroyed, leading us to the topic of stormwater in the Bay Area. What exactly is it? What makes it so dangerous? And most importantly: how can readers like YOU work to combat it?
First, it’s important we establish that stormwater is not the same as rainwater. You’d be forgiven for getting them mixed up, but one of them is harmful while the other is actually quite beneficial to our ecosystems. Rainwater refers to the water that falls from the sky - this type of water is generally clean, containing less pollutants than its harmful cousin, stormwater. As soon as rainwater hits land surfaces, whether it be rooftops or roads, it becomes stormwater. Chemicals found on these surfaces contaminate the water, making it unsafe for aquatic life. Struggling to remember the difference? Just think: would you rather catch raindrops on your tongue, or suck up stormwater from the street with a straw?
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Oh no! Don't drink stormwater, kids! |
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Now that we’ve gone over what stormwater is, you’re probably beginning to see the dilemma. The excessive rains that have been tormenting the Bay Area have caused a colossal amount of stormwater to travel in drains, sewers, and culvert pipes, all of which empty into local streams and rivers, and often on into the San Francisco Bay itself. The stormwater pollutants full of vehicle fluids, pesticides, and industrial sediment adulterate these aquatic environments, directly impacting the creatures living there.
The effects of this are devastating - ranging from the facilitation of growth in nutrient-blocking algae to the poisoning of water-dwelling organisms. And, if you’re an avid fisher, open water swimmer, or simply enjoy dining on all that the Bay has to offer, you’ll be disheartened to hear that these chemicals may contaminate certain species of fish, making them risky to eat.
Another fallout from excessive stormwater is that it enters 100-year+ sewer pipes with cracks and holes throughout the bay area, inundating waste treatment plants with extra water in the pipes, causing hundreds of thousands of gallons of sewage to be dumped in the bay.
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In a similar vein, it is advised that lawn sprinklers are not aimed into streets, or over-sprayed to the point they leak into gutters. Sprinkler water functions the same as stormwater, collecting chemicals as it runs into drains. And even worse - it contains treatment substances like chloramine that cause additional harm to wildlife.
If that wasn’t enough bad news, in times of stormwater surpluses, rapidly flowing water can erode streambanks, destroying vital habitats and enabling widespread inundations. This is exactly the case in the mass-flooding events we are seeing across the Bay; unrestrained stormwater flow backs up drainage systems and overfills waterways, spilling out onto streets and highways.
Interestingly, flooding was actually not so much of a problem in the past. Creeks, rivers, and other bodies of flowing water normally have natural floodplains, areas of flat land along the sides of a streambed. They typically contain absorptive soil and water-loving plants that soak up excess water, helping prevent large-scale destruction. Waterways in the Bay Area have them too, but per industrialization, towns and neighborhoods have been built directly on top of floodplains, effectively eradicating these streams’ natural flood outlets. This has made cities more susceptible to dangerous deluges, which is why we are seeing such intense destruction as January’s atmospheric river passes through the region.
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A Rainwater-friendly House |
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So how do we manage it? Currently, some of San Francisco’s stormwater is controlled by combined sewer systems, which is when wastewater (sewage) and stormwater run together through the same pipes before arriving at treatment facilities. There, they are sanitized and dumped into the San Francisco Bay or the Pacific Ocean. However, most areas have stormwater drains that do not lead to treatment facilities and instead flow directly into the Bay. This means that trash and other harmful substances are constantly entering our beloved waters. During storms, this happens on an especially large scale. While there are currently projects underway to reduce these destructive effects, such as efforts by BayKeeper and the San Francisco Estuary Partnership, there are many ways YOU can get involved in helping fight against bay stormwater pollution!
A common method used by households around the globe is rainwater harvesting, where large storage cisterns (please use 200 gallons+ cisterns) are connected to gutter downspouts to collect rainwater for later use, such as watering plants. This prevents excess water from spilling off of roofs into streets, and eventually storm drains. When creating your own rainwater harvesting system, be sure you aren't using small barrels, as they tend to fill up quickly and overflow. To learn more about rainwater harvesting and how to do it, check out this handy guide!
For those with a green thumb, rain gardens are an increasingly popular way to not only prevent stormwater overflow, but add a lovely touch of life to your front yard. Rain gardens are depressed areas of the ground filled with plants that slowly infiltrate water. A great method for creating a rain garden is using berms and swales. Berms are raised sections in the ground that guide runoff into swales, sunken areas that pond the water. When choosing plants, make sure to stick with native species! An added bonus is that these plants' roots can filter pollutants, creating an overall cleaner, healthy environment! Take it a step further and add mulch to your garden. Its highly retentive properties make it great for absorbing more water while providing nutrients for your plants without distracting from the garden’s overall appearance. For more information on creating a rain garden in the Bay Area, take a look at this guide by the University of California’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Both of these methods can be observed in the image above, along with a few other rainwater-conscious ideas that can help you achieve a more environmentally-friendly home! Together, by spreading awareness and incorporating preventative measures into our everyday lives, a Bay Area with cleaner waters is possible! If you'd like to learn more about all things water conservation, be sure to check out our website, whollyh2o.org. As always, your support is deeply appreciated!
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Staff Spotlight: Nöel Fagerhaugh
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Get to know Wholly H2O's Walking Waterhoods Project Manager! |
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Walking Waterhoods project manager Nöel Fagerhaugh is somewhat of a jack-of-all-trades. From gardening and writing to environmental advocacy, Nöel’s extensive skill set and passion for the environment have prepared her for success in project managing for Wholly H2O, a job she says has been exciting and transformative.
“As an undergrad in college, I worked with two different environmental groups,” she mentions. “But they were more [focused on] political action.” Nöel discusses how the political approach to environmentalism didn’t feel personal enough for her, as she prefers working with individuals to help shift their mindsets, inspiring them to appreciate the earth and its beauty.
“I have been teaching writing for the last 8 years, and while I can bring an environmental focus to some of my material, in general it’s not a popular topic among students, and I really missed it,” she explains when asked why she decided to join Wholly H2O. “When I saw this [opportunity], I was like ‘Oh, this is so cool! I can still work with students but also help spread environmental awareness.’”
This unique blend of teaching and advocacy has allowed Nöel to bring a fresh, engaging perspective to the student interns that she works with here at Wholly H2O. In a world where environmentalism often takes a back seat in academics, Nöel’s work is vital to the next generation, not to mention deeply influential. Nöel says her favorite part about her job is the lasting impact she is able to leave on the students, stating, “Just in a matter of weeks, you can see their shift in mindset. You get to almost experience their excitement for the first time again when you share [this information] with them, and I think that’s why I really like this work.”
But Nöel isn’t the only one learning new things; throughout her time as a project manager, she says she has picked up a few very important lessons along the way.
“Project management is a new thing for me,” she mentions, going on to explain some of the initial challenges with getting started. “It has reminded me about the importance of having a lot of patience…the challenge with the [Walking Waterhoods] project is that the students have been steeped in academic writing, so I’ve had to get them to loosen up and get back to a conversational writing tone for the tours.” She says that her biggest hope for the next semester of students is to set them up for even more success.
Besides writing and teaching, Nöel has a huge array of interests and hobbies, ranging from cooking and playing piano to perfume-making.
“I have a very creative family; my sister does fashion design and textiles and my big sister does a lot of [interior design]... I even almost went to art school.” Some of her artistic endeavors include metalworking, quilting, writing poetry, and sewing.
“I have always had this running joke with my friends and family that I have way too many hobbies,” she laughs. “I love a lot of variety in the things that I do. I actually think it’s why I chose teaching… I just like to keep it really varied.”
Nöel is also an avid hiker, often hitting the trails early in the mornings to recharge and clear her mind. “When I’m in nature, I definitely like to appreciate the silence around me. I usually hike alone or with my dogs… it feels rejuvenating.”
As for her future goals, Nöel is excited to continue encouraging Bay Area students to appreciate the world around them, and hopes to inspire not just her interns, but people all over the Bay. If you love a good hike like Nöel and want to support her work, check out our Walking Waterhoods tours using this link.
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Our lives depend on healthy watersheds, and Wholly H2O depends on YOU!
Support Wholly H2O as we plan many more exciting events over the next year!
We create educational content that connects YOU to the watersheds you live in, and we love doing what we do! No matter how much you decide to donate, you will make an impact on what we can accomplish. Click the button above to contribute a tax-deductible donation or check out our fundraiser on our Facebook page!
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Want to Give Back to Your Watershed? Join our Board of Advisors! |
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During the last 100 years, California has been in on-and off drought conditions. We also have one of the five most important delta systems in the world, yet, most Californians do not know where their water comes from, how much they use a day, or what watershed they live in. At Wholly H2O, we are creating deep connections with watershed ecosystems in order to inspire people to take long-range personal and political action, while still having fun. And our Board of Advisors is a crucial part of how Wholly H2O functions. We ask for a solid commitment to:
- Join a 1.5 hour board meeting every four months.
- Put the word out about at least 3 Wholly H2O events a year
- Attend at least 3 Wholly H2O events per year
- Assist us in making connections for program content, partners, funding, and growth.
We're looking for experts in Bay Area creek and marine ecosystems, East Bay BIPOC history, citizen science, curriculum development, East Bay K-12 schools, art, marketing, or outreach. If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, apply using this link. Also, be sure to check out our current Board of Advisors to learn more about our current members!
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Wholly H2O couldn't run without the work of our talented volunteers. We have a bunch of unique opportunities throughout the year, such as podcast producing, accounting, and content editing! Take a look at our Volunteer Match to learn more!
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Our Interns Do Really Cool Stuff. |
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We always have a pod of 10-15 interns researching creek histories, creating wildlife guides, editing livestreams, writing copies for our watershed tours, and more. We promise you will never be bored - lend your skills or add your curiosity to our work!
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Wholly H2O catalyzes dynamic, informed connections between people and their watersheds that yield proactive and appropriate water management through conservation and reuse. Our watershed-positive educational programs engage Californians in community , citizen science, art, and green infrastructure education.
Our activities: waterhood tours, BioBlitzes, Moth nights, and art events are bringing waterhoods to life for hundreds of water-users around the San Francisco Bay area! Join us for an event, follow us on social media, volunteer or intern, or donate to support our fun and innovative work. (We also love matched donations from your workplace!)
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