Bell Gardens completes major stormwater project at Ford Park
Bell Gardens, CA –Bell Gardens has completed a major stormwater project at Ford Park to improve water quality and recharge groundwater, with several park upgrades included as part of the work.
The John Anson Ford Park Infiltration Cistern Project, completed March 12, can capture and filter up to 21.5 acre-feet of stormwater—about 7 million gallons.
A cistern is a large underground tank used to collect and store water. At Ford Park, runoff is diverted from the L.A. County storm drain system, capturing and treating flows from a watershed that spans seven Southeast L.A. cities.
Before reaching the Rio Hondo Channel, which runs alongside the park, the water is filtered and stored in a bottomless cistern that allows it to percolate into the ground and help recharge the Central Basin aquifer.
Construction began in January 2020 and was completed by Zusser Company Inc. The project cost $19.2 million, according to City Manager Michael B. O’Kelly.
The system captures stormwater and dry-weather runoff—often polluted with trash, nutrients, bacteria, and heavy metals—that flows from nearby streets into the storm drain system. The goal is both pollution reduction and groundwater recharge, O’Kelly said in a text message.
In addition to the underground system, the project included new irrigation, lighting and landscaping. A parking lot on Park Lane was reconstructed, with new sidewalks also installed, and synthetic turf was laid over tanks located beneath the park’s soccer and baseball fields.
Originally planned as an 8-acre-foot facility, the project was expanded under a 2020 agreement to accept Measure W funding, increasing its capacity and reach.
Funding came from Measure W Regional Program grants, California’s Prop 1 Stormwater Program, and contributions from Bell, Bell Gardens, Commerce, Cudahy, Huntington Park, Maywood and Vernon.
Bell Gardens Mayor Jorgel Chavez said the project benefits not just local residents, but the Southeast L.A. region as a whole.
“In times of drought,” Chavez said in a phone interview, “it's projects like these where we're trying to get ahead of the problem.”
The City Council formally accepted the project as complete on April 28, authorizing the city clerk to file the notice of completion with Los Angeles County.
