Watershed Friendly Gardens
Funded by Proposition 84 Storm Water Grant Program, Ventura County Public Works Watershed Protection offered 5-part Watershed Friendly GardenTM program at 3 locations in the County of Ventura, including Meiners Oaks Elementary School in Meiners Oaks, Oak Park High School in Oak Park, and at the County Government Center in Ventura, CA. WFGs apply conservation, permeability and retention principles to revive our urban watersheds. WFGs conserve valuable resources like water, energy, and fossil fuels through the selection of low and medium water use plants, covering soil with 3”-4” of mulch, utilizing low flow irrigation systems with weather-based controllers. WFGs are permeable and allow water to slow down, spread out and sink into the ground. WFGs are designed to retain rainfall which reduces the need for irrigation and greatly reduces the amount of pollution entering our watersheds.
1,800 square feet of warm season grass at the County Government Center in Ventura, CA needed 18,000 gallons of water each year to remain healthy. The Green Gardens Group, along with members of the community, converted the 1,800 square feet of lawn by the main entrance to Hall of Justice into a Watershed Friendly Garden.
1,130 square feet of warm season grass at Oak Park High School needed approximately 30,000 gallons of water to remain healthy. The Green Gardens Group, along with members of the community, converted the area into a Watershed Friendly Garden (WFG). The WFG captures and retains runoff from nearby buildings and provides a habitat for beneficial insects year-round.
Meiners Oaks Elementary School
2,950 square feet of compacted dirt next to Meiners Oaks Elementary School was dry and covered with struggling non-native plants. the Green Gardens Group, along with members of the community, converted the area into a Watershed Friendly Garden (WFG). The WFG was designed to capture runoff from nearby impervious areas and reduces runoff into the storm drain.
