The San Francisco Bay shoreline’s first-of-its-kind horizontal “living levee” project is now open to the public. More than 2,000 plants hailing from 30 species are planted on a 500-foot-long slope of the Harbor Marsh shores in the Palo Alto Baylands. Traditional levees are constructed from rocks or concrete, but this project is piled high with vegetation to create a healthier ecosystem for the marsh, acting as a natural buffer between the land and water. Its overall goal: to provide the shore with protection from rising sea levels, which can cause flooding. … The plants are irrigated by treated wastewater from the Regional Water Quality Control Plant, which is owned by Palo Alto.

Related:

• City of Palo Alto: News release: Palo Alto horizontal levee completion celebrated