Water: Fremont Elementary School Greening Project
About the Program
APIFM’s Water is Life project aims to educate our community in the West San Gabriel Valley on water conservation and water projects in our neighborhoods.
The Water is Life project also aims to increase awareness of local water issues among city officials, elevate community voices and concerns related to drinking water safety, and mobilize community action to change water use habits.
Why Fremont Elementary School?
Water is Life engaged over 300 West SGV residents to identify priority locations for a multi-benefit stormwater capture project. With visual surveys and mapping activities, Fremont Elementary School (FES) was prioritized by residents due to its positioning within the San Gabriel River watershed, proximity to transportation corridors (Interstate 10 Highway and Fremont Avenue), and vulnerability to air pollution and extreme heat.
Project Goals
FES was chosen as an ideal site to explore green infrastructure that could provide multiple benefits for students and the surrounding community. Project goals include:
- Capture and reuse stormwater to reduce runoff and improve water quality.
- Add shade trees, native plants, and green spaces to reduce urban heat and improve air quality.
- Create outdoor learning areas and play spaces that support student wellness and education.
- Incorporate meaningful community input into the design process.
Community Engagement
Since 2024, more than 600 FES students, families, and staff have shared their ideas, hopes, and feedback for how to make the campus greener and healthier. We are incredibly grateful for everyone’s participation in shaping the vision for this project.
Conceptual Design
The design you see today reflects the collective input we have received so far. It represents an early conceptual vision that captures many of the community’s biggest hopes for the campus. However, it’s important to understand that this is not the final design. As the process continues, the design will be refined and adjusted based on a variety of factors, including safety codes, district regulations, maintenance needs, and available funding.
While we have secured funding for the current design and engagement phase, additional funding will be needed to bring certain features to life. Not every feature shown here may ultimately be possible, as implementation depends on both technical feasibility and future funding availability. Participant input has been essential in helping identify priorities and guide the project’s next steps. We look forward to sharing additional updates as the designs are refined and as new funding opportunities are pursued. We thank you for your continued support.
What’s Next?
The FES Greening Project is currently still in the design development phase. As designs are finalized, they will undergo further technical review and refinement to ensure long-term sustainability, feasibility, and safety. Additional opportunities for community input will be provided as the project advances. If you have questions or would like to stay updated about this project, please email info@apifm.org.
The FES Greening Project is made possible through funding and support from the Council for Watershed Health’s ReDesign LA Program, Water Foundation’s Safe Clean Water Program, Greenlining Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Resources Legacy Fund, Weingart Foundation, the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, and San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District.
About the Safe, Clean Water Program (SCWP)
The Safe, Clean Water Program (SCWP), which helps fund our Fremont Elementary School Greening Project, is a Los Angeles County initiative that works directly with communities, cities, and organizations to create projects that capture and clean stormwater, while also providing quality of life improvements.
Funded by Measure W, passed by LA County voters in 2018, SCWP addresses some of our region’s biggest water challenges—polluted waterways, drought, flooding, and the lack of green space in historically underserved communities. The program focuses on three main goals:
- Make it clean – Keep toxins and trash out of our rivers, lakes, and ocean.
- Make it green – Capture and reuse more local stormwater through nature-based solutions that also add shade and greenery.
- Make it for everyone – Prioritize projects that bring benefits to communities that have historically faced over-paving and disinvestment.
SCWP generates about $285 million annually through a small parcel tax on properties that contribute runoff pollution.
Since its launch, SCWP has funded more than 100 projects across LA County, ranging from schoolyard greening to large urban park transformations, that collectively capture and clean billions of gallons of stormwater each year. And, by including Fremont Elementary in SCWP’s growing network of projects, we’re helping address climate resilience in the West San Gabriel Valley.
Example SCWP Projects Across LA County
Below are some inspiring examples of how SCWP funding is being used to create greener and healthier communities.
Mary W. Jackson Elementary (Altadena, CA)
Amigos de Los Rios transformed Jackson Magnet STEM Dual Language Academy into a vibrant green schoolyard by removing 21,000 sq ft of asphalt and concrete and replacing it with pervious surfaces, bioswales, outdoor classrooms, and over 36 new trees and 600 native shrubs.
To learn more:
Plymouth Elementary School (Monrovia, CA)
Plymouth’s “Watershed Discovery Campus” includes rain gardens, planters, pervious pavement, and a large bioswale to address decades of flooding issues. The redesign also added outdoor classrooms, shaded paths, accessible play areas, and drought-tolerant landscaping to reduce heat and improve habitat.
To learn more:
East Los Angeles Sustainable Median Stormwater Capture Project
This project transformed barren traffic medians into green community spaces with over 300 new trees, drought-tolerant landscaping, bioswales, and jogging paths. Below the surface, infiltration drywells capture enough water during a single storm to fill 10 Olympic-sized swimming pools, recharging the local groundwater supply.
To learn more:
https://www.rainreadyca.org/east-los-angeles-sustainable-median-stormwater-capture-project
