Incentivizing homeowners to capture and manage stormwater

SFPUC’s Green Infrastructure Grants for Homes

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) launched the Green Infrastructure Grants for Homes pilot program to reduce stormwater entering the sewer system and lower the stormwater fees on customers’ sewer bills. SFPUC selected Greenprint to manage the pilot, which focuses on adding green infrastructure (GI) to residential properties. The pilot covers installation of nature-based improvements like rain gardens, permeable pavement, infiltration trenches and cisterns. 

The program fully funds the projects upfront, removing financial barriers for participants. SFPUC also wanted to learn how GI performs in different areas of the city and under different conditions, so homeowners were selected based on geography. For the first round of pilot projects, SFPUC prioritized homes in the Inner Sunset, Outer Sunset, Parkside, Bayview, Sunnydale and Visitacion Valley neighborhoods.

To help with public outreach, Greenprint created educational materials for homeowners and hosted a well-attended webinar to explain the program details and eligibility requirements. Our engineers manage the design and coordination efforts and our planning team provides robust customer support. This includes preparing participants for property assessments, developing and reviewing concept plans, assisting with grant applications to the SFPUC and overseeing construction. Greenprint is collecting valuable data to help the SFPUC decide if this initiative should be expanded beyond a pilot and how to best engage homeowners in municipal-level stormwater management.