San Francisco officials gathered Wednesday along Sunset Boulevard’s greenbelt, a 2-mile strip of plants and trees along the road, to celebrate an integral financing step in a project to deliver recycled water as the landscape’s irrigation source instead of potable water.
“It is a very important project, and it is long overdue,” said state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, at Wednesday’s briefing. “Particularly when it comes to irrigation, we should never be using potable water.”
Sunset Boulevard is a main thoroughfare running through the Sunset District connecting from Golden Gate Park to Lake Merced. The 60-acre greenbelt along both sides of the road is covered in trees and native plants that create habitats for critters and provide shade for residents.
“We want to take care of the places like this before they fall into disrepair, and with support from the state, we can make an improvement that will last and make Sunset Boulevard easier to maintain for years to come.”
Mayor Daniel Lurie
But it uses drinking water for irrigation, water that could be under threat amid droughts. Connecting the green space’s irrigation to a recycled water transmission pipe could save about 40 million gallons in drinking water per year.
“This project is also a great example of San Francisco’s deep commitment to climate action, climate resilience, and to being good stewards of our limited water supplies,” Wiener said. “Drought has always been real in California. It is getting worse. We know that our water supplies are strained, and we have the technology and the ability to reuse water.”
Wiener was able to secure $1 million for the Sunset Boulevard Recycled Water Irrigation Improvement Project in last year’s state budget. The Board of Supervisors recently approved a resolution crafted by Supervisor Alan Wong to allow the city’s Department of Public Works to accept and expend the state funding. Mayor Daniel Lurie signed the legislation Friday.
“It allows us to keep investing in a place that people in this neighborhood use and see every day,” Lurie said in a speech. “We want to take care of the places like this before they fall into disrepair, and with support from the state, we can make an improvement that will last and make Sunset Boulevard easier to maintain for years to come.”
Funding for the project comes from a mix of local and state sources, but the $1 million earmark from the state is crucial in filling a gap, according to Public Works Director Carla Short.
The signed resolution will be submitted to the California State Water Resources Control Board. The Department of Public Works will coordinate with the state on grant requirements and additional steps needed to move toward implementation.
“I’m proud of the progress we’re announcing today, and grateful to everyone who helped us get here,” Wong said in a speech. “That is what partnership should look like: the state bringing resources home, City Hall moving them forward, and our departments and workforce delivering improvements for our residents.”
Public Works will share more information on the project’s construction schedule soon.
