San Mateo County officials are moving forward on a green infrastructure plan that aims to transform the urban landscape and storm drainage systems.

The plan will help the county transition from relying solely on traditional drain infrastructure, which allows stormwater to flow directly into drains and bodies of water, to a more environmentally friendly model that disperses runoff to vegetated areas and collects it for nonpotable uses. 

At a May 22 meeting of the Midcoast Community Council, Joe LaClair, planning services manager for San Mateo County, outlined the new workplan. The document was approved by the Board of Supervisors in 2017 and submitted to the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board later that year. The project is a collaborative effort, led by the county’s Office of Sustainability, to meet recent state regulatory requirements for reducing pollution.