May 3--ADELANTO

--The city is fielding calls from residents concerned over the construction of a $24,000 pond and cactus garden outside City Hall meant to teach residents how to create a landscape that's as beautiful as it is eco-friendly.

"The city wants to lead by example and promote conservation and show people that you can have a variety of water-conserving yards -- it doesn't just have to be cactus and dirt," said Belen Cordero, water conservation specialist for Adelanto.

Since construction on the conservation garden began in early March, city workers have received many calls from residents angry about the city wasting money and water. However, all of the materials for the project are locally donated and the new landscape actually saves water -- tens of thousands of gallons of it.

When City Hall was surrounded by green grass, the city was wasting about 96,000 gallons of water per month, Cordero said. The new pond, which holds 3,000 gallons of water and is about 21 feet by 16 feet, will waste only 30 to 40 gallons per month, said Jesse Sanvoval, the pond's designer.

"The water just circulates, so there's not any wasted water except through evaporation," said Sanvoval, owner of Exterior Designs Custom Landscape in Hesperia.

The pond itself is valued at about $15,000, and the conservation garden includes an additional $9,000 worth of rock displays, brick and concrete walkways, more than 30 cacti, benches made from recyclable plastics and more desert plants.

This pond and cactus garden is in addition to a 10,000-square-foot conservation garden of desert wildflowers, decorative curbing and artificial turf completed around the City Hall's parking lot and front entrance in late 2008.

The city paid for the first garden through $100,000 worth of donated plants, materials and labor, and a $10,000 grant through the Mojave Water Agency's cash-for-grass program. Residents can apply for up to $3,000 in credits for replacing grass lawns with water-conscious landscapes through the same program.

Both gardens use drip irrigation systems and will soon include labels on every plant to give residents ideas on which plants to put in their own yards.

"It's simple, it's easy and people can either do it on their own or hire a landscape company," Cordero said.

The local companies who contributed will be able to put up small signs in the gardens advertising their products.

"Not only did I do it as a charity deal, but so I can actually get some publicity," Sanvoval said. "I'm hoping it actually pays off in the end."

The city is now letting the grass dry out outside San Bernardino County Fire Adelanto Station 322, which has been another "big water waster" and should qualify for another $10,000 grant to build water-smart landscaping through the MWA, Cordero said.

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