Working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and multiple state, regional and local public agencies and non-profit organizations, Community Conservation Solutions invested ten years and over $2 million in public and private funds to develop a nature-based, data-focused 'Green Solutions' methodology for stormwater capture and cleaning that focused on creating new, green open space in park-poor, disadvantaged communities. CCS' Technical Team of engineers, habitat restorations scientists, GIS mapping experts and planners integrated multiple datasets, and developed a web-based tool to identify public lands that could be used to create "smart" parks and open space to naturally capture, clean and re-use urban runoff and stormwater on a watershed scale.

CCS conducted watershed-scale analyses for multiple watersheds in L.A. County and for Alameda, Santa Clara and Monterey Counties. The most detailed work was conducted in the Upper LA River Watershed, and identified nearly 500 existing park and school properties that are suitable for capturing, cleaning and storing runoff, while helping to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions by providing new local water supplies.