Media Corner

For Immediate Release
September 29, 2004

Central Basin MWD Mounts Recycled Water Program at Local Horse Stables

PARMOUNT, CA. - Two Southeast Los Angeles horse ranch and equestrian centers have formed a partnership with Central Basin Municipal Water District to bring recycled water to their properties. Not noticeable to passing motorists, the Imperial Equestrian Center and Silver Dollar Ranch board and train some of the region's premiere show and race horses. The local ranches began using recycled water this month for dust control and irrigation.

"The Silver Dollar Ranch and the Imperial Equestrian Center are the first known users of recycled water at horse ranches in Los Angeles County," stated Bob Apodaca, President of the Central Basin Board of Directors. "Using recycled water for dust control is saving the horse ranches money and is positively impacting the horse training process."

The Silver Dollar Ranch has made its home in Paramount, California for the past 60 years. It enjoys a long history of training competition horses that compete in the country's premiere horse shows, competitions, and parades. Several of the horses appear in the Rose Parade and seven horses race at Santa Anita and Los Alamitos Race Track.

"Central Basin's recycled water has helped us in many different ways. Our new 2 inch recycled water pipes are allowing us to saturate an arena in five minutes - a task that used to take us four hours to complete," said Javier Mayer, owner of the Silver Dollar Ranch. "This is a big help. It is allowing us to save time, save money, and it is improving our training methods. We should have converted to recycled water a long time ago."

The Imperial Equestrian Center has called the City of South Gate home for the past 75 years. Like the Silver Dollar Ranch, the Imperial Equestrian Center boards and trains 100 of the region's premiere show horses. The Imperial Equestrian Center also hosts one week horse camps for local children during the summer months with horseback riding lessons available to the public six days a week by appointment.