Environmental Division

Our Environmental Division was created to protect, enhance, and restore the City’s environmental resources in balance with our community’s needs while meeting all regulatory and statutory requirements by way of a comprehensive management of policies, grants, and community engagement efforts. Visit the pages below to learn more about the different ways we are working to protect, enhance, and restore our environmental resources.

Stormwater

The Stormwater Program aims to inform our residents, businesses and new developers about the impacts of stormwater pollution and the best practices to prevent it.

Urban Greening

Watsonville’s Urban Greening Plan, developed in 2012, identifies and designs projects that address greenhouse gas emissions in our town or helps our residents adapt to challenges posed by climate change.

Climate Action & Adaptation Plan (CAAP)

Watsonville’s Climate Action & Adaptation Plan provides a roadmap to reduce our community’s greenhouse gas emissions, combat the impacts of climate change, and explore carbon sequestration, habitat restoration, and the repair of our natural world.

Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP)

Our Local Hazard Mitigation Plan identifies potential local natural hazards and identifies and prioritizes vulnerable areas in our local community to help them be prepared in case of natural disasters and other hazards. The plan also helps communities prepare for the recovery after such events and allows our city to apply for the California Office of Emergency Services and Federal Emergency Management grants, which would help our city recover in case of natural disasters and other hazards. 

Green Business

Our city provides resources to businesses who want to pursue Green Business Certification from the California Green Business Network through the Watsonville Green Business Program.  

City of Watsonville Green Infrastructure Plan

The City of Watsonville (City) has already taken deliberate, proactive steps to enhance community and environmental resiliency, including development of a Climate Action & Adaptation Plan (CAAP), Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP), Urban Greening Plan, receipt of an Urban Forestry Grant, and participation in the Santa Cruz Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Plan, among other efforts. Local groups and advocates (including the Watsonville Wetlands Watch) have also taken active roles in implementing nature-based projects and programs. Each of these efforts point the City toward implementing green infrastructure (GI) as a multibenefit climate adaptation strategy. 

Click here for Full Green Infrastructure Plan