West Basin Edward C. Little OFG Blooms In August Sunshine
Posted on 04. Aug, 2011 by pamela in Build Habitat, Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility, G3 Blog, G3 Design Studio, G3 Partners, Los Angeles/South Bay, Ocean Friendly Gardens, Rain Gardens, Watershed Notes, West Basin
CA Sycamores Welcome You To ECLWRF OFG
People attend our Basics Classes and say that the California native garden is dead and dry in summer. HUH? For anyone who still believes that myth (no doubt perpetuated by someone in the turf industry), make the trip to the Ocean Friendly Garden designed by G3 at West Basin’s Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility (ECLWRF) in El Segundo and see for yourself the bloomin’ California native garden in summer. During winter months, this runoff-reducing garden holds on to more than 1,200 gallons of rainwater at each rain event. The mulched beds, walkway and underground infiltration pits capture the equivalent of a First Flush (1″ of rain after a dry period) from a 2,000 sq. foot roof. The actual footprint of the adjacent building is more than 8,000 sq. ft., so this garden is receiving and holding on to a lot of water during the typical rainy season.
But now we are enjoying the sunshine of summer, and the only evidence of the previous season’s rainfall lies in the voluptuousness of the garden.
Hummingbird At ECLWRF OFG
Salvia greggii (Autumn sage), Mimulus aurantiacus (yellow monkey flower), Tecoma stans (trumpet bush — ok, so maybe calling this one California native is stretching it, but Texas and Baja can do so) and Achillea ‘Island Pink’ are still glowing strong in the August sunshine.
The evergreens like Heteromeles ‘Davis Gold’ (toyon with gold berries), Baccharis pilularis ‘Pidgeon Point’ (coyote bush), Rhmanus californica (coffeeberry) and Arctostaphylos(manzanita) are vivid green, perky, showing their little flowers or nascent berries, and supporting the “bones” or structure of the garden.
CA Natives Keep Cool In August
My favorite part of this garden is the trio of Platanus racemosa(California sycamore) trees popping up at the entry to the garden, and now so tall that they are almost peeking out of their enclosure. Entering this garden from the “sycamore side” reminds me of entering a cool dell in summertime and immediately I am breathing easier and feeling more relaxed. Two years after its completion, West Basin’s ECLWRF Ocean Friendly Demonstration Garden truly IS demonstrating that EVERY urban garden could bring beauty and relaxation into our lives if we concentrated on converting our properties into Ocean Friendly landscapes.
West Basin ECLWRF OFG August 2011
The world-renown West Basin ECLWRF is located at 1935 S. Hughes Way, El Segundo, CA. Parking is available in the adjacent parking lot. The ECLWRF gives tours of the facility on a regular basis. Call 310.414.0183 for more information.
Whirlwind G3 Rain Harvesting Tour
Posted on 11. Mar, 2011 by pamela in Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility, ELLE/Aveeno/SF @ Franklin Elementary, G3 Associates, G3 Blog, G3 Design Studio, Los Angeles/South Bay, Ocean Friendly Gardens, Rain Capture, Surfrider Foundation
ECLWRF Salvia, Achillea, Mimulus, and Ceanothus Celebrate Spring 2011
G3 Associate and Surfrider staffer, Paul Herzog, G3′s Pamela, and Jeff Adams, of 10,000 Raingardens distinction, took a mini-tour of six rainwater harvesting (passive and active) projects designed, installed, and stewarded by G3 Associates in the LA area. Jeff is in town to teach an ARCSA program for LA Conservation Corps.
After picking Jeff up at the airport, we took a swing by the West Basin ECLWRF Demo Garden in El Segundo. Thanks to G3′s Marilee Kuhlmann’s masterful design skills, something is ALWAYS in bloom in this garden. It did not disappoint the tour — the monkey flower/ceanothus combination were all in bloom and were all TO DIE FOR!
Next up was a sponge garden in the Ballona Watershed (Culver City) that holds on to all of the roof water and takes in water from the street during a heavy downpour.
Culver City Sponge Garden
During rainstorms this property used to get run-on which would flood the driveway and sit in on the thin lawn in front of the house. Now, all water is directed toward the infiltration area in the front yard, and above-ground wet spots are hard to come by.
The Ballona Garden was followed by a trifecta in Santa Monica. First, we stopped by the brand new Elle Aveeno Surfrider Demonstration Garden at Franklin Elementary School on Montana to check on the newly-installed OFG Yard Sign and weather-based irrigation controller. This garden was built with volunteer labor and funded by a grant from Elle Magazine and the City of Santa Monica.
Paul Herzog and Jeff Adams at Santa Monica OFG
We expect that water use will be reduced by 80% or more and all of the water from the adjacent building will flow into a heavily mulched area within the garden rather than out to the street (and ocean).
Santa Monica Cistern Garden 2011
After Franklin Elementary, we moved on to the Shoreland Plaza at 2nd Street and Montana with its 5,500 gallon subterranean cistern. This garden was the among the first permitted systems allowing a cross-connection with the municipal water supply and the cistern water. It too was built with funding from the City of Santa Monica.
Finally, we looked in on the Garden/Garden Demonstration Project on 17th St. Garden/Garden is part of the Sustainable Sites Initiative, and is an excellent demonstration of the benefits of changing landscapes from turf gardens to sponge gardens.
Garden Garden in Santa Monica
The City of Santa Monica has been recording data from this garden for more than 5 years, proving that sustainable landscapes reduce water, labor, energy, and green waste when compared to the traditional turf-centric garden. Garden/Garden was designed by G3 Founding Member, Susanne Jett, and it is a constant reminder of how forward-thinking she has been for decades.
A quick hop on the freeway took us to a project in Burbank designed and installed by G3 Associate, Scott Mathers of Hey Tanks! LA. This project will be the subject of an entire post sometime in the coming weeks.
G3 Associates Paul Herzog and Scott Mathers talk to Jeff Adams and Scott's Rainwater Client
Scott’s client has included graywater and rainwater harvesting to reduce the municipal irrigation water used on his property. With more than 1,000 gallons of above-ground water storage and the daily availability of shower graywater, Scott’s client is ready to build out his food forest.
Elmer Avenue Sponge Garden
The day was capped by a self-guided tour of Elmer Avenue in Sun Valley. This amazing green street project has several working sponge gardens, some of which will be highlighted in other entries.
West Basin Demo Garden @ ECLWRF Update
Posted on 22. Nov, 2010 by pamela in Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility, G3 Design Studio, Los Angeles/South Bay, Ocean Friendly Gardens, West Basin
ECLWRF OFG Demo Garden Nov 2010
One year after installation, the OFG Demonstration Garden at West Basin’s Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility (ELWRF) continues to grow strong and awaits the 2011 rainy season. The garden is really starting to look like the original Concept Rendering done by G3 in September 2009. West Basin ECLWRF OFG Demo Garden Concept copyright 2009, G3 All Rights Reserved.
The ELWRF is the largest water recycling facility of its kind in the United States and was recognized by the National Water Research Institute in 2002 as one of only six National Centers for Water Treatment Technologies. The ELWRF is the only treatment facility in the country that produces five different qualities of “designer” or custom-made recycled water that meet the unique needs of West Basin’s municipal, commercial and industrial customers. Contact the facility to arrange a tour and check out our Ocean Friendly Garden! 1935 S. Hughes Way, El Segundo, CA (310) 414-0813 Map to facility
OFG Native Plant Resources
Posted on 20. May, 2010 by pamela in Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility, G3 Blog, Los Angeles/South Bay, Ocean Friendly Gardens, Plants, Resources, West Basin
ECLWRF OFG Demo Garden May 2010
Visit the nurseries that provided native plants for sale at the West Basin 2010 Smart Landscape Expo:
C & S Nursery
Tree of Life Nursery
International Garden Center
Deep Roots
It’s Raining! ECLWRF Infiltration Works!
Posted on 23. Dec, 2009 by pamela in Attainable Sustainable, Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility, G3 Blog, G3 Community, G3 Design Studio, G3 Education, G3 Media, G3 Partners, Green Infrastructure, Homeowner, HOWs, Los Angeles/South Bay, Rain Capture, Rain Gardens, Resources, Surfrider Foundation, Video, Watershed Notes, West Basin
It’s raining pretty steadily today, so we rushed over to the Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility’s OFG to see how the permeable paving and infiltration devices were holding water. Here’s what the installation looked like on the day we completed the Hands-on Workshop. 
Below is a video of the devices DOING THEIR JOB sending rainwater from the roof of the adjacent 8,000 sq. ft. building (approximately 4,800 gallons per inch of rain) into the landscape and holding it there so it can infiltrate back into the ground rather than run off into the parking lot and become just more ocean pollution.
