California Native Garden to Bloom in the City of South Gate

Central Basin partners with the city to construct a garden that features the beauty of drought tolerant plants

COMMERCE, Calif., Nov. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Central Basin Municipal Water District has broken ground on the construction of a demonstration garden of California native and drought tolerant plants at South Gate Park in the City of South Gate. The garden is being funded by a grant awarded to Central Basin by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) with revenues generated from Proposition 50.

"Central Basin is pleased to partner with the City of South Gate to spread the word about water conservation. This garden helps make the point that you can have a beautiful garden and save water at the same time," said Central Basin Board Vice President Rudy Montalvo, who represents Division IV, which includes the City of South Gate. "We hope that parents and their children will enjoy and learn from the garden for many years to come."

The grant was awarded to Central Basin for the development of five demonstration gardens with a base amount of $10,000 for each garden. In addition to the garden at South Gate Park, construction has begun on another demonstration garden at the Sanchez Adobe in the City of Montebello. The construction of similar gardens will get underway soon in the nearby cities of Cerritos, Cudahy and Whittier.

"We hope that these projects will be completed by the end of the year. As Southern Californians, we need to be smart about our water usage, and something as simple as changing the landscape can make a big difference." said Sandi Linares-Plimpton, who is managing the demonstration gardens for Central Basin.

Once the demonstration gardens are completed, Central Basin and the cities will use them to raise awareness about how planting California native and drought tolerant plants can result in water and money savings.

Central Basin is a public agency that wholesales imported water to cities, mutual water companies, investor-owned utilities and private companies in southeast Los Angeles County, serving a population of more than 2 million. In addition, Central Basin provides the region with recycled water for municipal, commercial and industrial uses. Formed in 1952, Central Basin is committed to ensuring a safe and reliable water supply for the region. For more information please visit www.centralbasin.org.

Contact: Joseph Legaspi
Phone: 323.201.5542

SOURCE Central Basin Municipal Water District