Rain gardens and bioretention basins at Ukiah High and Anderson Valley Elementary and Jr./Sr. High help to slow, spread and sink runoff from roofs and impervious pavement.
MCRCD partnered with the Ukiah Unified School District and the Anderson Valley Unified School District to install low-impact development features and teach stormwater pollution prevention at Ukiah High School and Anderson Valley Junior and Senior High Schools. Between 2016 and 2019, MCRCD developed over 23,000 square feet of rain gardens, filtration strips and bioretention basins. Collectively, the project captures and cleans 6.2 million gallons of stormwater per year. In addition, the project included curricular tie-ins and educational opportunities for the students, including water quality data collection, peer-to-peer education and the development of over a dozen interpretive signs. The projects were recognized in a state-wide study of the DROPS grant program done by the University of Southern California as “clear outliers with substantially greater benefit returns than other projects with similar funding” and the projects in Anderson Valley were rated among the top four projects statewide. The projects were funded through a State Water Resources Control Board grant.
