Dixon and Winter’s Fire Departments used prescribed fire to remove weedy non-natives, such as yellow star thistle from the Pond C basin.

Pond C in Dixon

Solano RCD staff auguring planting holes for native trees and shrubs. The Pond C Biofiltration and Habitat Restoration Project is a partnership effort between the City of Dixon, Solano RCD and Dixon RCD. Pond C is a 40-acre basin that is designed so that Dixon’s storm water flows through the basin before being discharged into Dixon RCD’s drainage channels. By slowing down storm water as it meanders through the basin and swale complex, Pond C allows sediment and other pollutants to drop out of the water column, greatly improving water quality.

Although Pond C was constructed in 2007, it was only minimally vegetated with native plants. In 2017, we received an Urban Rivers Grant from the California Natural Resources Agency which is funding comprehensive restoration efforts at Pond C. These efforts include removing weedy annuals (such as yellow star thistle), seeding native grasses and wildflowers throughout the project site, planting 15,000 native rush and sedge plugs in the wetland basin, and planting 2,000 native shrubs and trees on the upland slopes. Twenty community volunteer events and eighteen school events are scheduled through spring 2020 to allow local residents and students to participate in restoration efforts.

If you are interested in signing up to receive notices about Pond C volunteer efforts, please visit our volunteer page for upcoming events or contact Katherine Holmes at

Solano RCD staff seeding eight species of native grasses using a tractor and no till drill seeder.

The majority of trees and shrubs planted at Pond C will be grown from local seeds collected from nearby rivers and wetlands. Here volunteers are transplanting seedlings of wild licorice (Glycyrrhiza lepidota) into containers.

Volunteers planting native rushes and sedges in Pond C’s bioswale. These wetland plants will help filter storm water.

Volunteers planting native trees and shrubs on the upper slopes of Pond C.