Public Access - Success Story for City of Petaluma

As the sun sets on the Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility (ECWRF), over a dozen local residents are still jogging, biking and walking around the new polishing wetland ponds. Some do not even know that they are at a wastewater treatment facility; some believe they are visiting a City Park and a few understand that they are at a special facility. The ECWRF provides wastewater treatment for the City of Petaluma and spectacular access to over 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles) of trails covering an area of over 121 hectares (300 acres) of marsh land adjacent to the Petaluma River. Trail signs include information on water recycling and wastewater treatment as well as local site history, wildlife photos and site aerial photographs and are located throughout the trails. This is just part of the story of how the City of Petaluma successfully incorporated public access and amenities into the new ECWRF.