California Water Service and City of Carson Dedicate New City Hall Water-Wise Community Garden, Celebrate Partnership and City’s Leadership to Make Conservation Local Way of Life

California Water Service and City of Carson Dedicate New City Hall Water-Wise Community Garden, Celebrate Partnership and City's Leadership to Make Conservation Local Way of Life

Garden Serves as Model for Residents, Businesses to Save Water Every Day

CARSON, Calif.-To be an example for the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, the City of Carson and local water utility California Water Service (Cal Water) have partnered to convert Carson City Hall's landscaping from thirsty turf to a beautiful, water-wise garden that is projected to save up to 2.3 million gallons of water each year. The City of Carson and Cal Water came together today to dedicate the new community garden and spotlight the importance of making conservation a way of life, as the State has emphasized through recent regulations to reduce water use.

The project was funded through Cal Water's lawn-to-garden and spray-to-drip rebate programs, which provided $388,377 to the City. It included removing 129,500 square feet of turf around City Hall and replacing it with drought-tolerant landscaping. Cal Water estimates that over the lifetime of the project, the City could save up to 23.3 million gallons of water.

"This project is very important to the City of Carson as we continue to create initiatives that will sustain us not just today but in the future," said Carson Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes. "This garden is Carson making conservation a way of life for our residents and visitors, and we hope that the garden serves as an inspiration to everyone to make water-wise decisions in their lives."

Projects like this are becoming increasingly important as about 400 of California's largest cities approach the State's Jan. 1, 2025, deadline to develop a water-use budget every year and set and meet appropriate targets. The rules are a part of two laws signed in 2018 after a severe five-year drought, but despite recent wet years, conversions like the City of Carson's are important in implementing a long-term solution.

"We are pleased to partner with the City of Carson on this important water conservation project. With our changing climate making extreme weather patterns more frequent and severe, we can count on more dry years ahead," said Ralph Felix, District Manager for Cal Water's Rancho Dominguez District, which includes the City of Carson. "Now is a great time to make changes like this, so when drier years hit, our customers are already ahead of the curve. We applaud the City for its leadership and serving as an example for local residents and businesses."

Cal Water offers its customers a number of incentives to save water every day through conservation rebates and programs. To learn more, visit www.calwater.com/conservation.

About City of Carson

Located in the South Bay section of Los Angeles County, the City of Carson is home to nearly 100,000 residents. Carson proudly serves its thriving, diverse community through engagement and the efficient delivery of exceptional services.

About California Water Service

California Water Service provides high-quality, reliable water utility services to about 313,400 people through about 95,000 service connections in its Rancho Dominguez District and another 44,600 people through an operations and maintenance contract with the City of Hawthorne, and more than 2 million people through 497,700 service connections statewide. Cal Water's purpose is to enhance the quality of life for customers and communities. To do so, it invests responsibly in water and wastewater infrastructure, sustainability initiatives, and community well-being. The company's employees live by a set of strong core values and share a commitment to protecting the planet, caring for people, and operating with the utmost integrity. The utility has been named one of "America's Most Responsible Companies" and the "World's Most Trustworthy Companies" by Newsweek, a Top Workplace, and a Great Place to Work®. More information is available at www.calwater.com.

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Released September 24, 2024