Runoff is water generated by everyday activities during dry weather and pollutants it picks up on hardscapes, such as overwatering, washing a car, or major spills. These pollutants include trash, bacteria, nutrients, and heavy metals. Stormwater is any form of precipitation which also picks up the same pollutants. Runoff, stormwater, and the pollutants they carry will make its way into our major water bodies, lakes, creeks, rivers, and ultimately the ocean. To prevent the pollution from reaching our water bodies, the City is implementing projects such as the John Anson Ford Park Infiltration project that will capture, treat, and infiltrate water from 2,295 acres.

Cities like Bell Gardens are required to comply with pollutant limits set by the government. The compliance group Bell Gardens is part of identified John Anson Ford Park as a priority site for a water quality improvement project. One method of compliance is constructing projects that treat and capture water. Another method of compliance is preventing the discharge of pollutants through regular maintenance. The City minimizes the discharge of sediment during construction through frequent street sweeping in the neighborhood around the park. This will both keep the streets clean and reduce pollutants that might go into the ocean.

Construction is set to be completed in April 2022.

Yes. The City of Bell Gardens hosted two (2) public workshops for the public to notify and collect input about the proposed project, the temporary impacts related to construction activity, the long-term benefits of the project for the community, and stormwater management. The City of Bell Gardens mailed notices of the project meeting in English and Spanish to all residents located within 500 feet of the project site and posted the notice on the City website.

Please contact Bell Gardens Public Works at (562) 806-7770.

During the project’s construction period, the park parking lot will be utilized by construction workers. The existing on-site parking lot will be unavailable to users of John Anson Ford Park during construction periods. Construction workers will not park on the street, and no staging of project infrastructure will occur on the street. Park users are able to park on surface streets to access available parts of the park throughout the construction periods.

John Anson Ford Park hosts hundreds of games. Most programs will be able to continue during construction. The City’s Public Works Department will coordinate with the City’s Recreation Department to accommodate recreation programs during project construction.

During construction, the following parks and facilities will remain open to the public:

• Bell Gardens Veterans Park

• Bell Gardens Youth Center

• Darwell Park

• Gallant Park

• Hannon Park

• Julia Russ Asmus Park

• Marlow Park

Please see the map below.