Media Corner

For Immediate Release
April 23, 2007

Earth Day 2007 a Huge Success

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Whittier, CA - The Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County and Central Basin Municipal Water District partnered to host the area's largest educational Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 14. The event was a huge success, promoting environmental stewardship, volunteerism and education through hands-on activities for the entire family.

More than 3,000 visitors from the organizations' combined 78-city service area attended the free event to participate in the eco-friendly games, shows, raffle drawings and visit the 100+ educational exhibits.

"Earth Day was a special day for Central Basin and the Sanitation Districts, because it showed two agencies coming together to enhance public service and education," said Central Basin's General Manager, Art Aguilar. "Events like this go a long way to spreading environmental awareness. It couldn't have been a better cause."

Steve Maguin, the Chief Engineer and General Manager of the Sanitation Districts, was also pleased with the event outcome, and inspired by the cause. "We were happy to open our facilities to the community for this exciting event. This was an opportunity to highlight the work our agencies have done to protect the environment through innovation in waste management and water reliability."

While children enjoyed an Eco-Magic Show, rode the "Waste-by-Rail" educational train ride and experienced the marine animals and plants at the SEA Lab's Traveling Tide Pool, adults participated in creative composting workshops, toured a native plant garden and took home information from exhibitors.

Congresswoman Grace Napolitano attended the event and thanked event participants for their commitment to an important cause. During the program, the two agencies received proclamations of recognition by representatives from the offices of Congresswoman Hilda Solis, Senator Ron Calderon, Assemblyman Ed Hernandez, and Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina.

Exhibitors handed out everything from informative brochures with water-saving tips, to native plant seeds, water-saving device and biodegradable office supplies. Local businesses also presented a variety of eco-friendly products, such as Toyota of Whittier's Prius hybrid car, and Kohler's touch-less, water-saving faucets and flush valves.

A raffle drawing ended the day-long festivities, where three lucky visitors received a state-of-the-art, high-efficiency toilet donated by Kohler. Also raffled-off was a brand-new, high-efficiency clothes washer and dryer set.

Event sponsors included:
The San Gabriel Valley Newspaper Group, Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas Company, Sustainable Solutions Int., the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Bentley Prince Street, Black and Veatch, CH2M HILL, Honeywell Utilities Solutions, Kaiser Permanente, Kellogg Garden Products, Kohler, Lee & Ro Inc., Lockheed Martin, FedEx Kinkos, Cacique, MWH, Rio Hondo College Foundation, San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership, San Gabriel Valley Water Company and Western Carwash Association.

Photos of Earth Day 2007 are available upon request.

Central Basin Municipal Water District is a public agency that wholesales imported water to cities, mutual water companies, investor-owned utilities and private companies throughout its 24-city service area in Southeast Los Angeles County, serving a population of more than 2 million. Additionally, 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.

The Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County is a partnership of 24 independent special districts serving approximately 5.2 million people in Los Angeles County. The service area covers 800 square miles and encompasses 78 cities and unincorporated County areas. The Sanitation Districts provide environmentally sound, cost-effective wastewater and solid waste management and, in the process, convert waste into resources such as reclaimed water, energy, and recycled materials. For more information, please visit www.lacsd.org.