Upper Yosemite Creek Daylighting Project
Overview
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is uncovering, also known as "daylighting," the upper-most portion of Yosemite Creek which once flowed from McLaren Park near McNab Lake all the way to the San Francisco Bay.
The Upper Yosemite Creek Daylighting Project will feature innovative green infrastructure technologies to manage and reduce stormwater entering the combined sewer system. Technologies will include rain gardens, a creek channel, and a stormwater storage system that collects stormwater to irrigate a new soccer field at Louis Sutter.
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Project Background
The project will manage stormwater from 106 acres of McLaren Park including excess flows routed from Yosemite Marsh and McNab Lake.
The new creek channel will have seasonal flows during the rainy season. When the creek channel is dry, its planting will create new habitat to support birds, insects and other wildlife in McLaren Park. The Upper Yosemite Creek Daylighting Project is a result of close coordination with San Francisco Recreation & Parks and public input from the local community. It is the final in a series of eight SFPUC green infrastructure pilot projects, designed to test different stormwater management technologies across all of San Francisco’s urban watersheds.
Project Status and Next Steps:
Following a delay caused by the global pandemic, the project resumed planning, design, and engagement in mid-2022. -
Green Infrastructure Improvements and Other Upgrades
Proposed Green Infrastructure Features:
- Restoration of historic creek
- Rain gardens
- Underground cisterns below the Louis Sutter Playground soccer field
- High efficiency irrigation system that re-uses stormwater to irrigate the soccer field
Additional Improvements:
- Upgrades to the existing soccer field
- New sidewalks and curb ramps along Wayland Street
- Pedestrian access to creek at Yosemite Station
- Habitat for birds and butterflies using California native plants
- Tree planting (87 new trees)
- Interpretive signs
- Project Materials
