Community Corner

Plans for California Native Garden Under Way in Cerritos

California native gardens to bloom in five Southland cities, including Cerritos.

The design process is currently underway for a demonstration garden comprised of California native and drought-tolerant plants in the city of Cerritos, according to a spokesperson for the Central Basin Municipal Water District.

The city’s garden project is one of five to be funded by a grant awarded to Central Basin by the California Department of Water Resources with revenues generated from Proposition 50, said water district spokesman Joseph Legaspi.

Last week the first two gardens were installed in South Gate and Montebello, and similar constructions are slated to take place in Cerritos, Cudahy and Whittier as well. Each garden has a base amount of $10,000, according to water district officials.

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Legaspi said the garden in Cerritos, which is still in the design phase, will be installed at El Rancho Verde Park located at 7815 Denni Street along the neighboring city of La Palma. 

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.

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"We hope that these projects will be completed by the end of the year,” said Central Basin Board Vice President Rudy Montalvo.

Sandi Linares-Plimpton, who is managing these projects for Central Basin, hopes these public spaces will help raise awareness about water conservation throughout the community.

“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 Linares-Plimpton.

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.

Central Basin also provides the region with recycled water for municipal, commercial and industrial uses.

- City News Service contributed to this report.


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