One Truckee River (OTR) River-Friendly Landscaping Program Expansion
Project Description:
OTR launched the Program’s pilot in 2020/21 with funding from the Western Regional Water Commission (WRWC). The Program’s pilot goal was to engage Truckee homeowners to teach about landscape design and maintenance practices that protect water quality in the Truckee River Watershed. This Program was initiated because residential parcels are increasing across the Truckee Meadows, and they have great stormwater runoff reduction potential when assessed cumulatively.
Based on the great success of the Program’s pilot, OTR is seeking to expand its efforts. To determine the Program’s next steps, they solicited feedback from participants and local water quality professions. They conducted research and interviews with similar water quality and conservation education Programs in other western states. Therefore, they are proposing to expand the Program in three parts:
- Marketing and branding research,
- Expansion of the homeowner education Program, and
- Development of a new branch of the Program focused on new construction.
TMWA Benefit:
Expansion of the Program meets TRF’s Grant Priorities: II Watershed Improvements, III Local Stormwater Improvements, and VI Stewardship and Environmental Awareness because it provides water quality and watershed protection in adult education programming and is designed to mitigate residential stormwater runoff and NPS pollution. The Program encourages landscape design techniques and maintenance practices that reduce sediments, phosphorus, and nitrogen in direct support of efforts to meet the Truckee River’s TMDL requirements. It encourages techniques to reduce stormwater runoff volumes, mitigating hydro-modification of channels and water temperature increase due to surface runoff across hot pavement.