This winter’s incredible rainstorms – the most powerful in more than 170 years – caused flooded streets, downed trees, and mudslides across the Bay Area. San Francisco received more than 11 inches of rain during a 10-day period, or roughly 50 percent of our average annual rainfall.

But in the Sunset, homes and businesses avoided the worst, due in part to preventive measures taken by the city and neighborhood volunteers.

In 2021, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) installed 30 “rain gardens” along the Sunset Boulevard Greenway from Irving Street to Ulloa Street. The gardens help capture stormwater runoff in the Sunset watershed, which helps minimize the burden on the sewer system. The SFPUC estimates that these gardens contain, absorb, and divert about 5.3 million gallons of stormwater yearly. Volunteers with SFPUC’s Rain Guardians Program work year-round to keep the gardens free of trash and debris.

How did the gardens perform during the Great Deluge of 2022-2023? According to SFPUC spokesperson Jeremy Spitz, the rain gardens and other green infrastructure facilities have “either met or exceeded” their planned performance. The Sunset’s successful gardens were even featured in the current issue of Mother Jones magazine.

Adopt a drain program
Spitz also praised the contribution of SFPUC’s Adopt-a-Drain program. Impressively, more than 4,400 residents have “adopted” over 6,000 storm drains throughout the city, helping to monitor and clear them as needed. The Great Deluge brought attention to the program, with residents stepping up to adopt more than 2,400 drains since the New Year’s Eve downpour. 

“This outstanding volunteer-driven program doesn’t replace the critical work of dozens of city crews,” which worked around the clock before, during, and after the rain, Spitz says. “Rather, the Adopt-a-Drain program helps us keep more eyes on our storm drains, reminds drain adopters  of when and how to submit service requests to the city’s 311 phone link, and better prevents leaves, debris, and trash from eventually clogging our system.” Find information on Adopt-a-Drain and sign up here.

Work continues in Stern Grove 
Pine Lake and Stern Grove took a significant hit in the recent storms, losing between 32 and 38 trees to the punishing winds and rain, according to the SF Recreation and Parks Department. Blue gum eucalyptus accounted for most of the loss, but some redwoods and dawn redwoods were lost as well. Both parks have been closed to the public while crews clear downed and damaged trees. 

Pine Lake is tentatively scheduled to reopen on Feb. 1, while no reopening date has been set for Stern Grove. 

Stern Grove also suffered extensive flood damage due to a broken water transmission line in August 2021. Emergency repairs continue in the affected areas, including the Francis M. McAteer Tennis Courts. Rec and Parks expects restoration to be completed this spring.

Reported and written by volunteer community journalists Jan Cook and Tom Colin. If you are a retired journalist like Jan and Tom and would like to volunteer as a writer for Supervisor Engardio’s newsletter please send us a note here. We also encourage student journalists in high school and college to write stories.