The following are definitions of terms contained in this chapter:
"Applied water"
means the portion of water supplied by the irrigation system
to the landscape.
"Automatic irrigation controller"
means a timing device used to remotely control valves that
operate an irrigation system. Automatic irrigation controllers are
able to self-adjust and schedule irrigation events using either evapotranspiration
(weather-based) or soil moisture data.
"Best management practices (BMPs)"
means schedules of activities, prohibitions of practices,
training and education, maintenance procedures, and other management
practices to prevent or reduce the discharge of pollution to surface
and groundwater. BMPs include, without limitation, treatment requirements,
operating procedures, and practices to control urban runoff, spillage
or leaks, sludge or waste disposal, or drainage from raw material
storage.
"Certified landscape irrigation auditor"
means a person certified to perform landscape irrigation
audits by an accredited academic institution, a professional trade
organization or other program such as the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's WaterSense irrigation auditor certification program and Irrigation
Association's Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor Program.
"City"
means the City of Santee.
"Compost"
means the safe and stable product of controlled biologic
decomposition of organic materials that is beneficial to plant growth.
"Established landscape"
means the point at which plants in the landscape have developed
significant root growth into the soil. Typically, most plants are
established after one or two years of growth.
"Establishment period of the plants"
means the first year after installing the plant in the landscape
or the first two years if irrigation will be terminated after establishment.
Typically, most plants are established after one or two years of growth.
Native habitat mitigation areas and trees may need three to five years
for establishment.
"ET adjustment factor (ETAF)"
means a factor of 0.55 for residential areas and 0.45 for
nonresidential areas, that, when applied to reference evapotranspiration,
adjusts for plant factors and irrigation efficiency, two major influences
upon the amount of water that needs to be applied to the landscape.
The ETAF for new and existing (nonrehabilitated) special landscape
areas shall not exceed 1.0. The ETAF for existing (nonrehabilitated)
landscapes is 0.8.
"Evapotranspiration rate"
means the quantity of water evaporated from adjacent soil
and other surfaces and transpired by plants during a specified time.
"Friable"
means a soil condition that is easily crumbled or loosely
compacted down to a minimum depth per planting material requirements,
whereby the root structure of newly planted material will be allowed
to spread unimpeded.
"Graywater"
means untreated wastewater that has not been contaminated
by any toilet discharge, has not been affected by infectious, contaminated,
or unhealthy bodily wastes, and does not present a threat from contamination
by unhealthful processing, manufacturing, or operating wastes. "Graywater"
includes, but is not limited to, wastewater from bathtubs, showers,
bathroom washbasins, clothes washing machines, and laundry tubs, but
does not include wastewater from kitchen sinks or dishwashers. Health
and Safety Code Section 17922.12.
"Hardscapes"
means any durable material (pervious and nonpervious).
"Hydrozone"
means a portion of the landscaped area having plants with
similar water needs. A hydrozone may be irrigated or nonirrigated.
"Integrated pest management (IPM)"
means an effective and environmentally sensitive approach
to pest management that is focused towards prevention, and natural
controls as opposed to pesticides. IPM programs use current, comprehensive
information on the life cycles of pests and their interaction with
the environment. This information, in combination with available pest
control methods, is used to manage pest damage by the most economical
means, and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and
the environment.
"Irrigation audit"
means an in-depth evaluation of the performance of an irrigation
system conducted by a certified landscape irrigation auditor. An irrigation
audit includes, but is not limited to: inspection, system tune-up,
system test with distribution uniformity or emission uniformity, reporting
overspray or runoff that causes overland flow, and preparation of
an irrigation schedule. The audit must be conducted in a manner consistent
with the Irrigation Association's Landscape Irrigation Auditor Certification
program or other U.S. Environmental Protection Agency "WaterSense"
labeled auditing program.
"Irrigation efficiency (IE)"
means the measurement of the amount of water beneficially
used divided by the amount of water applied. Irrigation efficiency
is derived from measurements and estimates of irrigation system characteristics
and management practices. The irrigation efficiencies for purposes
of this ordinance are 0.75 for overhead spray devices and 0.81 for
drip systems.
"Irrigation survey"
means an evaluation of an irrigation system that is less
detailed than an irrigation audit. An irrigation survey includes,
but is not limited to: inspection, system test, and written recommendations
to improve performance of the irrigation system.
"Landscape area"
means all the planting areas, turf areas, and water features
in a landscape design plan subject to the maximum applied water allowance
calculation. The landscape area does not include foot-prints of buildings
or structures, sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, decks, patios,
gravel or stone walks, other pervious or nonpervious hardscapes, and
other nonirrigated areas designated for nondevelopment (e.g., open
spaces and existing native vegetation).
"Landscape contractor"
means a person licensed by the State of California to construct,
maintain, repair, install, or subcontract the development of landscape
systems.
"Landscape guidelines"
means the City of Santee landscape guidelines for implementation
of the City of Santee Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance.
"Landscape project"
means total area of landscape in a project as defined in "landscape area" for the purposes of this ordinance, meeting requirements under Section
13.36.020.
"Local water purveyor"
means any entity, including a public agency, City, County
or private water company that provides retail water service.
"Maximum applied water allowance (MAWA)"
means the upper limit of annual applied water for the established
landscaped area as specified in Section 3.B of the guidelines for
implementation of the City of Santee Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance.
It is based upon the area's reference evapotranspiration, the ET adjustment
factor, and the size of the landscape area. The estimated total water
use shall not exceed the maximum applied water allowance. Special
landscape areas, including recreation areas, areas permanently and
solely dedicated to edible plants such as orchards and vegetable gardens,
and areas irrigated with recycled water are subject to the MAWA with
an ETAF not to exceed 1.0. MAWA = (ETo) (0.62) [(ETAF x LA) + ((1-ETAF)
x SLA)].
"Mined-land reclamation projects"
means any surface mining operation with a reclamation plan
approved in accordance with the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act
of 1975.
"New construction"
means, for the purposes of this ordinance, a new building
with a landscape or other new landscape, such as a park, playground,
or greenbelt without an associated building.
"Nonresidential landscape"
means landscapes in commercial, institutional, industrial
and public settings that may have areas designated for recreation
or public assembly. It also includes portions of common areas of common
interest developments with designated recreational areas.
"Permit"
means an authorizing document issued by local agencies for
new construction or rehabilitated landscapes.
"Pervious"
means any surface or material that allows the passage of
water through the material and into the underlying soil.
"Plant factor" or "plant water use factor"
is a factor, when multiplied by ETo, that estimates the amount
of water needed by plants. For purposes of this ordinance, the plant
factor range for very low water use plants is 0 to 0.1, the plant
factor range for low water use plants is 0.1 to 0.3, the plant factor
range for moderate water use plants is 0.4 to 0.6, and the plant factor
range for high water use plants is 0.7 to 1.0. Plant factors cited
in this ordinance are derived from the publication "Water Use Classification
of Landscape Species." Plant factors may also be obtained from horticultural
researchers from academic institutions or professional associations
as approved by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR).
"Project applicant"
means the individual or entity submitting a landscape documentation
package required under Section 3 of the landscape guidelines, to request
a permit, plan check, or design review from the City. A project applicant
may be the property owner or designee.
"Record drawing" or "as-builts"
means a set of reproducible drawings which show significant
changes in the work made during construction and which are usually
based on drawings marked up in the field and other data furnished
by the contractor.
"Recreational area"
means areas, excluding private single family residential
areas, designated for active play, recreation or public assembly such
as in parks, sports fields, picnic grounds, amphitheaters and or golf
courses tees, fairways, roughs, surrounds and greens.
"Recycled water"
means treated or recycled waste water of a quality suitable
for nonpotable uses such as landscape irrigation and water features.
This water is not intended for human consumption.
"Reference evapotranspiration" or "ETo"
means a standard measurement of environmental parameters
which affect the water use of plants. ETo is expressed in inches per
day, month, or year as represented in Appendix A of the landscape
guidelines, and is an estimate of the evapotranspiration of a large
field of four- to seven-inch tall, cool-season grass that is well
watered. Reference evapotranspiration is used as the basis of determining
the maximum applied water allowance so that regional differences in
climate can be accommodated.
"Rehabilitated landscape"
means any re-landscaping project that requires a permit, plan check, or design review, meets the requirements of Section
13.36.020, and the modified landscape area is equal to or greater than 2,500 square feet.
"Runoff"
means water which is not absorbed by the soil or landscape
to which it is applied and flows from the landscape area. For example,
runoff may result from water that is applied at too great a rate (application
rate exceeds infiltration rate) or when there is a slope.
"Special landscape area (SLA)"
means an area of the landscape dedicated solely to edible
plants, recreational areas, areas irrigated with recycled water, or
water features using recycled water.
"Turf"
means a ground cover surface of mowed grass. Annual bluegrass,
Kentucky bluegrass, Perennial ryegrass, Red fescue, and Tall fescue
are cool-season grasses. Bermudagrass, Kikuyugrass, Seashore Paspalum,
St. Augustinegrass, Zoysiagrass, and Buffalo grass are warm-season
grasses.
"Valve"
means a device used to control the flow of water in the irrigation
system.
"Water feature"
means a design element where open water performs an aesthetic
or recreational function. Water features include ponds, lakes, waterfalls,
fountains, artificial streams, spas, and swimming pools (where water
is artificially supplied). The surface area of water features is included
in the high water use hydrozone of the landscape area. Constructed
wetlands used for on-site wastewater treatment or stormwater best
management practices that are not irrigated and used solely for water
treatment or stormwater retention are not water features and, therefore,
are not subject to the water budget calculation.
(Ord. 566 § 3, 2019)
Water waste resulting from inefficient landscape irrigation
runoff shall be prevented. Therefore, runoff is prohibited from leaving
the target landscape due to low head drainage, overspray, or other
similar conditions where water flows onto adjacent property, nonirrigated
areas, walks, roadways, parking lots, structures and other nontargeted
surfaces.
(Ord. 566 § 3, 2019)
The City may establish and administer penalties to the project applicant, property owner, or property resident for noncompliance with this chapter to the extent permitted by law and as stated in Title
1 of the Santee Municipal Code.
(Ord. 566 § 3, 2019)
Education is a critical component to promote the efficient use
of water in landscapes. The use of appropriate principles of design,
installation, management and maintenance that save water is encouraged
in the community.
(Ord. 566 § 3, 2019)