ASCE OC EWRI: City of Santa Ana King Street Urban Greening Project

In February, ASCE OC EWRI was honored to have Craig Foster, NPDES Manager for the City of Santa Ana, and Katie Harrel, Special Projects Manager at CWE, present on the innovative King Street Urban Greening project in Santa Ana. The project creatively converted an unused right-of-way into a vibrant multi-purpose pocket park with stormwater runoff capture, groundwater infiltration, flood reduction, water quality improvement, and area beautification. Foster and Harrel gave an insightful and informative presentation on key project highlights, including urban greening project features and critical milestones.

Foster began the presentation by taking attendees through the project progression, from design to construction. He described the wonderful support of the surrounding community for taking the small 10,000-square-foot piece of unused land and converting it into a lovely green space. Foster enumerated the various King Street Urban Greening project features, which enabled its qualification for specific funding from the CalTrans Clean California Local Grant Program (CCLGP), and he illustrated the design development from conceptual layout to final design through a series of exhibits and images.

Attendees listen to Craig Foster as he describes project features. Picture by ASCE OC EWRI.

Harrel continued the presentation by describing the advanced design features, focusing on the stormwater infrastructure. She explained the calculations and layout of the underground stormwater infiltration system and two bioretention basins, which help to percolate the captured runoff back into the groundwater aquifer, improving water quality in the watershed and local water supply while reducing flooding. Harrel also described other project design features, including the native, drought-tolerant landscaping for improved urban land use and the community connections through the park in the form of a pedestrian pathway and pervious concrete bike path.

Overview of the King Street Urban Greening project. Picture provided by presenters.

Foster ended the presentation by sharing about the significant community engagement in the park's development, including creative signage, a hand-painted mural by a local artist, and the naming of the park – "La Artista Artesia Pilar Park." Attendees were then treated to additional example projects nearby, both in progress and completed, where the benefits of urban stormwater capture were clearly shown.

Entry to La Artista Artesia Pilar Park. Picture provided by presenters.

EWRI was thrilled to have Craig Foster and Katie Harrel describe their valuable experience on the King Street Urban Greening project and was happy to present both speakers with plaques to thank them for providing their insights and volunteering their time to speak at the ASCE OC EWRI technical event.

ASCE OC EWRI Chair, Ben Smith, thanking presenters Craig Foster and Katie Harrel with plaques. Picture by ASCE OC EWRI.

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About the Author:

Jenny Robinet is a Project Manager at Pacific Advanced Civil Engineering (PACE) in Orange County, CA. She loves working on various stormwater projects and being involved in the civil engineering industry, especially ASCE where she currently serves as Orange County Branch Secretary. Jenny can be contacted via email at jrobinet@pacewater.com or LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-robinet.