Green Infrastructure

Green Infrastructure (GI) Plan

To comply with the City's Municipal Regional Stormwater NPDES permit, Orinda must submit an adopted Green Infrastructure (GI) Plan to the SF Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) by September 30, 2019. The GI Plan will lay out how the City will identify, prioritize, and map both potential and planned green infrastructure projects. This is a long-term plan that will be implemented with goals in mind for 2020, 2030, and 2040.  

There are two current land developments which incorporate green infrastructure at Orinda Oaks on Stein Way and Orinda Grove on Altarinda Rd.  

Green Infrastructure Plan Timeline

Green Infrastructure

Green infrastructure is a system of decentralized stormwater management features that are put in place to change a community's infrastructure from gray to green. Gray infrastructure directs stormwater flow directly into storm drains, while green infrastructure slows waters flow and allows it to be used by plants and percolate into the ground.  Types of green infrastructure that are commonly implemented are rain gardens, bioswales, green roofs, rainwater harvesting, and porous pavement.

Orinda is one of the cities under the jurisdiction of the San Francisco Bay Area Region of the California Regional Water Quality Control board, which issues Municipal Regional Permits (MRPs).  These permits cover stormwater discharges for municipalities, which is regulated by the federal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting system.  The Permit requires each municipality covered under it to adopt a Green Infrastructure Plan.  This is a part of an effort to reduce pollution flowing into the bay, but green infrastructure has additional benefits of better air quality, property prices, and recreation.