SEC participated in an educational outreach day at the VeggieLution Urban Farm in San Jose recently that included presentations on biochar and a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of the biochar-infused bioswale project that was a collaboration between Earth Foundries, ReScape, the Santa Clara RCD, Sonoma Ecology Center, and farm staff and volunteers. The project was funded by the USFS, CAL FIRE, and Valley Water.

The bioswale was designed and constructed to monitor and assess biochar’s effectiveness  in capturing water and pollutants during storm events compared to the section of the bioswale that does not contain biochar. 

The right side of the separated bioswale contains biochar, the far side does not.

Dede Smullen from Earth Foundries (center, left), and representatives from VeggieLution Farm,  the Santa Clara RCD, and Valley Water participate in the ribbon cutting. 

The soil and water in the bioswale will be monitored for several years by Earth Foundries, with assistance from Sonoma Ecology Center, to determine how the biochar section differs from the section without it.

 Roger Smullen from Earth Foundries (right) explains the project to attendees.