During the Great Depression, our founder, Henry Wheeler Sr., through an entrepreneurial spirit and an ingenious offer to his banker, acquired cabbage fields in the Bell Gardens area. At the time, he owned the Highway Construction Company, through which he began to develop the land and sell parcels for $2000 per lot. Buyers were allowed to put $10 down and pay $2.50 per month until their balance was paid off.

Initially, water for the property owners was pumped from the ground and supplied to them free of charge. However, as the area changed from agriculture to residential, the complexity of providing water to the residents increased and more costly investments were needed for the water company. Seeing this need, Mr. Wheeler Sr. started the Los Neitos Water Company and hired a long time friend and neighbor to run the water company. The company serviced an area on the east side of the Los Angeles River, north and south of Rosecrans.

The Los Angeles County area continued to experience substantial growth and in December 1937, Mr. Wheeler Sr. incorporated the water company. He selected the name Park Water Company because he related water to green grass in parks; and the name was available through the county recorder. By the 1960’s the company had grown to over 42,000 service connections in Bell Gardens, Pico Rivera, Paramount, South Gate, and Downey.

Today, Park Water Company owns water systems that cover about 11 square miles in Southeast Los Angeles County serving a population of about 100,00 through about 27,500 connections. In addition, Park owns Apple Valley Ranchos Water Company and Mountain Water Company which provides water to an additional 44,000 customers. Under the current leadership of Henry Wheeler Jr., Park’s motto of “Safety and Service” is a primary guiding principle for all of its management and staff.

As a privately held, investor owned public utility company engaged in the collection, storage, distribution, and sale of water to customers, Park Water Company’s operations are regulated by the State of California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). In addition, Park holds valid permits to serve water from their State of California Board of Health.