Metropolitan Sponsorship Helps Provide Road Map to Restore Native Landscape of Southland Rivers.

Business/News Editors & Environment Writers

EL MONTE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 5, 2002

A cornucopia of native plants could spring up along the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers as part of a pioneering watershed program that today received a boost from the Metropolitan Water District's Community Partnering Program.

U.S. Rep. Hilda Solis (D-El Monte) joined Metropolitan Director David De Jesus in presenting a $15,000 check to the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council against a watery backdrop of native willows, marsh pennywort, cattails and various forms of wildlife.

Standing before the reflective waters of San Gabriel River and San Jose Creek, Solis said, "Residents deserve to live in a clean, healthy environment where children can play and nature can thrive. We need to restore health to the natural habitat that has been there for centuries and has, in many cases, been lost."

The Watershed Council is a consortium of governmental, community, environmental, business and academic groups that seeks to replace a confrontational atmosphere with a collaborative approach on watershed issues.

Metropolitan sponsorship will support two groundbreaking efforts, including a reconnaissance map-making mission to look for native plants along the riverbank as a prelude to a campaign to transform the landscape along the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers into a home for native plants.

Metropolitan also is backing the council's Water Augmentation Program in which water that once flowed to the ocean is instead allowed to percolate through cleansing aquifers and become a new local water source.

"We need to stretch our water supplies, and native plants are designed to exist on local rainfall," said De Jesus, who represents Three Valleys Municipal Water District on Metropolitan's board of directors. "They're a vital part of outdoor water conservation that will be essential to our region's future. It may take years to fully bring back native plants to our riverbanks, but we can start using them in our homes and our businesses right now."

"Metropolitan is often at the head of the pack when it comes to embracing new ideas about water use, and we appreciate its support," said Richard Harter, executive director for the Watershed Council.

The council's efforts include Metropolitan staffer Ellen Mackey, who is developing landscaping guidelines for the Los Angeles River that could significantly alter the watershed's appearance, Harter said.

Mackey has already helped map several miles along the San Gabriel and Los Angeles rivers and their tributaries. The mapmaking can pinpoint promising areas for restoration, where native plants have managed to survive the onslaught of non-native intruders.

It's hoped that such research can produce results like those found at the site of Saturday's event, where the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works and the Army Corps of Engineers have removed numerous acres of deceptively lush looking non-native plants that had threatened to wipe out native flora that feed and shelter local wildlife.

The $15,000 grant is part of Metropolitan's 3-year-old Community Partnering Program, which is distributing nearly $600,000 this year for local water education projects and programs. The grants support public forums, educational and research programs, exhibits and other community-based events. Also eligible are innovative conservation programs and memberships in national, state, regional and local associations that support Metropolitan's mission.

For more information about Metropolitan's programs, visit the district's Web site, mwdh20.com.