Public invited to school watershed tour May 1
–The public is invited for an inside look at specialized, new water conservation landscaping, permeable paving, underground infiltration chambers and watershed education programming at Flamson Middle School in Paso Robles.
Paso Robles Joint Unified School District and One Cool Earth recently completed a $1M state water conservation grant awarded in 2015. The grant program, Drought Response Outreach Program for Schools (DROPS) from the State Water Board, provided funding for infrastructure improvements within the district, in addition to educational programming.
The public is invited to the following site tour:
- Flamson Middle School – 2405 Spring St., Paso Robles, CA 93446 Wednesday, May 1st, 5:30-7 p.m.
With support from the nonprofit One Cool Earth, Creeklands, Paso Robles City, Oceano Community Services District, and the County of San Luis Obispo, the school district applied for the grant in January of 2014 and was one of 29 school districts in the state to receive an award through the Drought Response Outreach Program for Schools.
In addition, Paso Robles Unified School District, the County Office of Education, and Atascadero Unified School District also received grants through the program, totaling $3.5 million in awards county-wide. The DROPS grant requires a matching funding, partially supported by One Cool Earth’s existing watershed education program budget, including grants from partners like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the William & Charlene Glikbarg Foundation, and the Oceano Community Service District.
In response to the Governor’s declaration of a Drought State of Emergency on January 17, 2014, the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) repurposed unallocated grant funds for the Drought Response Outreach Program for Schools (DROPS). DROPS is focused on school projects that reduce stormwater pollution and provide multiple benefits including water conservation, water supply augmentation (increase stormwater retention and groundwater recharge), energy savings, increased awareness of water resource sustainability, and reduced dry weather runoff. Every DROPS project includes an educational component designed to increase student awareness of the project’s environmental benefits and water resource sustainability.
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