Descanso Gardens broke ground on a series of water reclamation, wildfire readiness and habitat restoration projects designed to improve long-term sustainability and public access at the botanical garden on Monday morning. The groundbreaking ceremony was held in the auxiliary parking lot at Descanso Gardens, where excavation will begin on a new underground stormwater capture system. According to Descanso Gardens officials, the project will include a cistern system capable of storing about 1.5 million gallons of water and capturing up to 21 million gallons of stormwater annually from a 256-acre watershed. The reclaimed water will be reused for irrigation, lake replenishment and habitat support.