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Revitalizing the San Diego River: Where Community Meets Clean Water


Revitalizing the San Diego River: Where Community Meets Clean Water

The Challenge

The San Diego River is a lifeline weaving through the heart of Southern California. Once a pristine waterway, it now faces a dual threat: bacteria levels that would make even a surfer think twice, and eutrophic conditions that turn crystal waters into a murky soup. The County of San Diego was tasked with restoring this vital waterway while harmonizing the needs and desires of the community it serves. The existing playbook of non-structural and capital stormwater programs wasn't enough. It was time for a new approach, which is when they reached out to Craftwater.


Our Approach

Driven by our goal of turning every San Diego rain event into a cause for celebration rather than concern, this is how we approached the project:


  1. Community Collaboration: We kicked off with a listening tour, reaching out to two dozen interested parties to hear the community's voice and understand their priorities. 

  2. Watershed Model: We developed a calibrated watershed model, exploring data to understand the river's flow.

  3. Bacteria Catchment: Our team conducted a bacteria source catchment prioritization, identifying the hotspots with unwanted microbes.

  4. Alignment of Needs: We overlaid water quality data with community-voiced needs, finding the sweet spots where environmental goals and community desires aligned.

  5. Project Library: Through an engineer-informed process, we put together a diverse library of hundreds of project opportunities.

  6. Project Prioritization: Next up will be prioritization of these projects based on impact, feasibility, and community benefit, developing several preliminary engineering reports, and transforming the most promising ideas into shovel-worthy projects ready to break ground.


Key Takeaways

  • Community-Centric Design: Proving that effective environmental solutions start with listening to local voices

  • Data-Driven Decisions: Demonstrating how advanced modeling can pinpoint where interventions will have the most impact

  • Holistic Problem-Solving: Showcasing the power of addressing water quality issues while meeting broader community needs

  • Scalable Solutions: Offering a diverse portfolio of projects, from backyard-scale to region-wide interventions

  • Collaborative Approach: Highlighting the importance of engaging property owners in stormwater management

  • Actionable Outcomes: Transforming plans into shovel-worthy projects ready for implementation


With this Community-Focused Stormwater Program, Craftwater isn't just cleaning a river—we're revitalizing a region, one raindrop at a time.

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