Overview

The River Friendly Landscaping Program

The River Friendly Landscaping program helps Truckee-area homeowners understand how soil erosion from their properties adversely affects the Truckee River watershed.

River Friendly Landscaping improves water quality by assisting residential property owners in voluntarily reducing or preventing soil erosion. It covers older and established neighborhoods in the Truckee River watershed within the Town of Truckee, Placer County, Nevada County, and within other related counties in California.

This program is voluntary.  We provide free site evaluations, site plans and assistance for homeowners.  To join in the effort, simply call (530) 550-8760, ext. 3 and or sign up online.  We will arrange to meet with homeowners and provide a free site evaluation.

As an added incentive homeowners can receive up to $1000 in reimbursement for labor and material costs until all rebate funds are exhausted.

Homeowners are eligible to receive the complimentary full-color guide to landscaping in the Sierra Nevada, the Yard and Garden Guide. Published by the Sierra Nevada Alliance, the 160-page manual offers great landscaping inspiration with dozens of photographs and how-to tips.  Also available is an informative booklet: “Invasive Weeds of the Tahoe National Forest.”

How are we doing?

The end of 2012 marked the close of our 3rd year of the River-Friendly Landscaping program. Here's an update on how we're doing as we work to identify potential soil erosion sources and prevent sediment pollution:

• • 375+participants have requested site evaluations
  • 160 site evaluations have been completed with 159 recommended measures implemented; that's 81.32 tons of sediment we're preventing from reaching area streams and rivers!
  • Over $48,000 in rebates awarded to date
  • Our current funding levels will ensure the River-Friendly Landscaping program continues through 2014

Thank you to Our Partners and Supporters

• California State Water Resources Control Board
• Contractors Association of Truckee-Tahoe
• Placer County
• Sierra Green Building Association
• Sierra Nevada Alliance
• Tahoe Resource Conservation District
• Town of Truckee
• Truckee Tahoe Engineers Association
• Sierra Green Building Association
• Tahoe Sierra Board of Realtors