Summer is canceled for SF's Washington Square Park

FILE - Greenery of many varieties lines the walkways of Washington Square Park in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, Calif. Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019. The park has now closed for major upgrades. FILE - Greenery of many varieties lines the walkways of Washington Square Park in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, Calif. Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019. The park has now closed for major upgrades. Photo: Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close Summer is canceled for SF's Washington Square Park 1 / 12 Back to Gallery

Thought you were going to spend your San Francisco summer lazing on the lawn of Washington Square Park? Think again.

As of Monday, the North Beach park is now closed for the next six months. Yes, this means one less spot in the city for carefree picnics and tai chi lessons — but it should be to your benefit in the long run. That's because what will emerge at the end of a long, parkless summer is something much less wet and swampy.

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As the Chronicle reported back in January, Washington Square Park has an out-of-date irrigation system that slurps up more than 3 million gallons of water a year. This causes the grass to be chronically muddy and damp, making it less than appealing to park-goers.

"It's not necessarily a pleasant place to spend a sunny afternoon to lay on the grass," Danny Sauter, president of North Beach Neighbors, told the Chronicle. "We're not getting the full use of the lawn area, and that is what the project is trying to improve."

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With the installation of a modern irrigation system, Washington Square Park will become drier and more pleasant — plus, it will save more than two million gallons of water each year. During renovations, the recently rebuilt playground and restrooms will remain open, except for when nearby pathways are being repaved. We hope it's worth the wait.

Read more about the project at the Chronicle.

Madeline Wells is an SFGate editorial assistant. Email: madeline.wells@sfgate.com | Twitter: @madwells22