Pacific Southwest Research Station

Pacific Southwest Research Station
800 Buchanan Street
West Annex Building
Albany, CA 94710-0011

(510) 559-6300

Urban Ecosystems and Social Dynamics

Urban Ecosystems and Processes

Have you ever gone outside after a rainstorm and looked around thinking, "where does all this water end up?" Communities across the U.S. are faced with the problem of too much water and not enough places to put it. The expansion of impervious surfaces, such as roads, parking lots, driveways, and buildings, results in heavy flows of stormwater runoff into streams, wetlands, lakes and marine waters.

Computer simulations of deciduous trees in California's Central Valley estimate that for every 1000 trees, stormwater runoff is reduced nearly 1 million gallons - a value of almost $7000. These values are clear evidence of the role trees play in reducing runoff of polluted stormwater and in reducing the need for engineered controls.

FEATURED STUDY

Measuring and Modeling Hydrologic Processes at the Residential Level
The goal of this project is to examine and model stormwater management techniques at the residential level. In collaboration with TreePeople in Los Angeles, we selected two single-family sites in L.A. to evaluate four stormwater management techniques - cisterns, retention/detention basins, swales, and a driveway grate and drywell. By combining these traditional stormwater management techniques with an urban tree canopy that can intercept rainfall, we hope to demonstrate the significant impact that a comprehensive solution will have on rainfall interception, runoff, and landscape water use. This project is a partnership between the USDA Forest Service, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and the Department of Land, Air, & Water Resources at the University of California, Davis.

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