Staff Report and WELO Ordinance - StopWaste.Org

Draft 10-13-10Proposed Amended Chapter 13.25Water Efficient Landscape13.25.010 Authority.13.25.020 Findings — Purpose.13.25.030 Applicability.13.25.040 Definitions.13.25.050 Submittal Requirements.13.25.060 Landscape Design Documentation Package Elements.13.25.070 Landscape Installation Certification Package Elements.13.25.080 Public Education.13.25.090 Water Waste Prevention.13.25.100 Violation.13.25.010 Authority.This chapter is enacted under the Water Conservation in Landscaping Act (GovernmentCode Section 65591 et seq.) and is a "water efficient landscape ordinance" adopted by a localagency under that Act.13.25.020 Findings — Purpose.A. Findings. The city council finds and declares that the state of California is historically anarid environment with limited amounts of water resources subject to ever increasingdemands. There are enormous costs to the residents and ecosystem of the state to maintaincurrent water resources systems and create new systems to meet current and futuredemands for water. The State's, region's, and City's continued economic prosperity isdependent on continued water availability. Landscapes are essential to our quality of life, forexample by providing areas for passive recreation and enhancing the environment bycleaning air and water and preventing erosion. Landscape design, installation, maintenance,and management can be water efficient. Therefore, the city council finds that it is in the publicinterest of the residents of the city and the state to require the wise and efficient use of alimited and costly resource through regulations that require and promote water conservation.B. Purpose. The purpose of this chapter is to establish standards for designing, installing,and maintaining water efficient landscapes that avoid runoff and other water waste inlandscape projects. This is accomplished through the requirements for responsible landscapedesign, soil care, irrigation design and scheduling, and management which utilize reasonableamounts of water while ensuring that aesthetic, functional, energy and environmental benefitsof landscapes are achieved with design flexibility.13.25.030 Applicability.A. Projects meeting the applicability criteria of subsection B of this section, and for which anapplication is deemed complete on or after the date of adoption of this ordinance, shallcomply with the submittal requirements of section 13.25.050.B. Except as noted in subsections C, D and E of this section, the provisions of this chapterapply to landscape projects that require a permit, as that term is defined in section 13.25.040,and are:1Attac67