(a)
This
chapter is adopted in accordance with Government Code Section 65595(c)
for the purpose of complying with California law and promoting water
conservation. This chapter may be referred to as the "landscape water
conservation standards." The landscape water conservation standards
are intended to promote water conservation while allowing the maximum
possible flexibility in designing healthy, attractive, and cost effective
water efficient landscapes.
(b)
These
landscape water conservation standards must be used in conjunction
with the city of Monterey Park land development provisions for landscaping
and the guidelines for implementation of water efficient landscape
("guidelines"), which are incorporated by this reference and on file
with the city clerk's office. Where conflicts in language may exist
between these landscape water conservation standards and the city's
land development provisions for landscaping, the more restrictive
water conserving language prevails.
(Ord. 2070 § 1, 2009)
Unless the contrary is stated or clearly appears from the context,
the following definitions govern the construction of the words and
phrases used in this chapter. Words and phrases not defined by this
chapter have the meanings stated in the Water Conservation in Landscaping
Act (Government Code §§ 65591, et seq.); regulations
promulgating the Water Conservation in Landscaping Act; this code;
the city of Monterey Park land development provisions for landscaping
and the guidelines for implementation of water efficient landscape;
and any successor statutes or regulations.
means the person submitting a landscape documentation package.
An applicant can be the property owner or designee.
means the portion of water supplied by the irrigation system
to the landscape.
means regulations separately adopted by city council resolution,
and incorporated by reference into this chapter, providing specific
regulations for water conservation.
means a project where the site is intentionally altered to
establish a defined, indigenous, historic ecosystem.
means the average annual total amount of water estimated
to be necessary to keep plants in a healthy state, calculated as provided
in the guidelines. It is based on the reference evapotranspiration
rate, the size of the landscape area, plant water use factors, and
the relative irrigation efficiency of the irrigation system.
is equal to the plant factor divided by the irrigation efficiency
factor for a landscape project, as described in the guidelines. The
ETAF is calculated in the context of local reference evapotranspiration,
using site-specific plant factors and irrigation efficiency factors
that influence the amount of water that needs to be applied to the
specific landscaped area. A combined plant mix with a site-wide average
plant factor of 0.5 (indicating a moderate water need) and average
irrigation efficiency of 0.71 produces an ET adjustment factor of
(0.7) = (0.5/0.71), which is the standard of water use efficiency
generally required by this chapter and the guidelines, except that
the ETAF for a special landscaped area cannot exceed 1.0.
means any durable material or feature (pervious and nonpervious)
installed in or around a landscaped area, such as pavements or walls.
Pools and other water features are considered part of the landscaped
area and are not considered hardscapes.
means any landscaping either installed by a private individual
for a single-family residence or installed by a licensed contractor
hired and paid directly by a homeowner. A homeowner, for purposes
of this chapter, is a person who occupies the dwelling he or she owns.
This definition excludes speculative homes, which are not owner-occupied
dwellings and which are subject under this chapter to the requirements
applicable to developer-installed residential landscape projects.
means a portion of the landscaped area having plants with
similar water needs and typically irrigated by one valve/controller
station. A hydrozone may be irrigated or nonirrigated.
means the measurement of the amount of water beneficially
used divided by the amount of water applied to the landscaped area.
Irrigation efficiency is derived from measurements and estimates of
irrigation system characteristics and management practices. The minimum
average irrigation efficiency for purposes of this chapter is 0.71.
Greater irrigation efficiency can be expected from well-designed and
maintained systems.
means the documents required to be provided to the city for
review and approval of landscape projects subject to this chapter,
as described in the guidelines.
means a licensed landscape architect, licensed landscape contractor, or any other person authorized to design a landscape pursuant to Sections 5500.1, 5615, 5641, 5641.1, 5641.2, 5641.3, 5641.4, 5641.5, 5641.6, 6701, 7027.5 of the California Business and Professions Code, Section 832.27 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations, and Section 6721 of the California Food and Agriculture Code.
means total area of landscape in a project, as provided in
the definition of "landscaped area," meeting the requirements of this
chapter.
means any relandscaping project that meets the applicability
criteria of this chapter, where the modified landscape area is greater
than two thousand five hundred square feet or where the cumulative
modified area is greater than two thousand five hundred square feet
if the modifications are planned to occur incrementally within one
year.
means all the planting areas, turf areas, and water features
in a landscape design plan subject to the maximum applied water allowance
and estimated applied water use calculations. The landscaped area
does not include footprints of buildings or structures, sidewalks,
driveways, parking lots, decks, patios, gravel or stone walks, other
pervious or non-pervious hardscapes, and other nonirrigated areas
designated for nondevelopment (e.g., open spaces and existing native
vegetation).
means the upper limit of annual applied water for the landscaped
area as specified in Section 2.2 of the guidelines. It is based upon
the area's reference evapotranspiration, the ET adjustment factor,
and the size of the landscaped area. The estimated applied water use
cannot exceed the MAWA.
means any surface mining operation with a reclamation plan
approved in accordance with the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act
of 1975.
means, for the purposes of this chapter, a new building with
a landscape or other new landscape such as a park, playground, or
greenbelt without an associated building.
means any surface or natural material that does not allow
for the passage of water through the material and into the underlying
soil.
means any natural person or corporate person, or other entity
recognized by law.
means any surface or material that allows the passage of
water through the material and into the underlying soil.
is a factor, when multiplied by ETo, that estimates the amount
of water needed by plants. For purposes of this chapter, the plant
factor range for low water use plants is 0 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 chapter are derived from the Department of Water Resources
2000 publication "Water Use Classification of Landscape Species."
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.
means a standard measurement of environmental parameters
which affect the water use of plants. ETo is given expressed in inches
per day, month, or year as represented in the guidelines, and is an
estimate of the evapotranspiration of a large field of four-to seven-inch
tall, coolseason grass that is well watered. Reference evapotranspiration
is used as the basis of determining the maximum applied water allowances.
means an automatic timing device used to remotely control
valves that operate an irrigation system and which schedules irrigation
events using either evapotranspiration (weather-based) or soil moisture
data.
means an area of the landscape dedicated solely to edible
plants such as orchards and vegetable gardens; areas irrigated with
recycled water; water features using recycled water; and areas dedicated
to active play where turf provides a playing surface, such as parks,
sports fields, and golf courses.
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. Augustine grass, Zoysiagrass, and Buffalo grass are warm-season
grasses.
means a device used to control the flow of water in an irrigation
system.
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 landscaped area. Constructed
wetlands used for on-site wastewater treatment, habitat protection
or storm water best management practices that are not irrigated and
used solely for water treatment or storm water retention are not water
features and, therefore, are not subject to the water budget calculation.
(Ord. 2070 § 1, 2009)
(a)
This
chapter applies to the following landscape projects:
(1)
New landscape installations or landscape rehabilitation projects
by public agencies or private nonresidential developers, except for
cemeteries, with a landscaped area, including water features but excluding
hardscape, equal to or greater than two thousand five hundred square
feet, and which are subject to a discretionary approval of a landscape
plan, or which otherwise require a ministerial permit for a landscape
or water feature.
(2)
New landscape installations or landscape rehabilitation projects
by developers or property managers of single-family and multifamily
residential projects or complexes with a landscaped area, including
water features but excluding hardscape, equal to or greater than two
thousand five hundred square feet, and which are subject to a discretionary
approval of a landscape plan, or which otherwise require a ministerial
permit for a landscape or water feature.
(3)
New landscape installations that are homeowner-installed, including
homeowner-hired, in single-family or multifamily residential lots
with a total project landscaped area equal to or greater than five
thousand square feet, and which are otherwise subject to a discretionary
approval of a landscape plan, or which otherwise require a ministerial
permit for a landscape or water feature.
(b)
The
guidelines may be adopted separately by city council resolution and
are incorporated into this chapter by reference.
(Ord. 2070 § 1, 2009)
(a)
This
chapter does not apply to:
(1)
Registered local, state, or federal historical sites;
(2)
Ecological restoration projects that do not require a permanent irrigation
system;
(3)
Mined-land reclamation projects that do not require a permanent irrigation
system; or
(4)
Plant collections, as part of botanical gardens and arboretums open
to the public.
(b)
The
requirements of this chapter may be partially or wholly waived, at
the discretion of the city manager or designee, for landscape rehabilitation
projects that are limited to replacement of plantings with equal or
lower water needs and where any modifications to the irrigation system
do not require ministerial permits and the irrigation system is found
to be designed, operable, and programmed consistent with minimizing
water waste in accordance with local water purveyor(s)' regulations
or programs.
(Ord. 2070 § 1, 2009)
(a)
A
landscape documentation package is required to be submitted to the
city for review and approval before the issuance of permits and before
the start of construction. Any landscape documentation package submitted
to the city must comply with provisions of this chapter and the guidelines.
(b)
The
landscape documentation package must include a certification by a
landscape professional stating that the landscape design plan, soil
management report, irrigation design plan, and water calculations
have been prepared by or under the supervision of the landscape professional
and are certified to be in compliance with the provisions of this
chapter.
(1)
Landscape and irrigation plans must be submitted to the city for
review and approval with appropriate water use calculations. Water
use calculations must be consistent with calculations contained in
the guidelines.
(2)
A certification of completion is required to verify compliance with
the approved plans and must be obtained in conjunction with a certificate
of use and occupancy or a permit final, as provided in the guidelines.
(Ord. 2070 § 1, 2009)
(a)
For
applicable new landscape or landscape rehabilitation projects subject
to this chapter, the estimated applied water use allowed for the landscaped
area may not exceed the MAWA calculated using an ET adjustment factor
of 0.7, except for the portion of the MAWA applicable to any special
landscaped areas within the landscape project, which may be calculated
using an ETAF of 1.0. Where the design of the landscaped area can
be otherwise shown to be equivalently water efficient, the applicant
may submit alternative or abbreviated information supporting the demonstration
that the annual EAWU is less than the MAWA, at the discretion of and
review and approval of the city.
(b)
Irrigation
of all landscaped areas must be conducted in a manner conforming to
the rules and requirements, and is subject to penalties and incentives
for water conservation and water waste prevention as determined and
implemented by the local water purveyor(s) or as mutually agreed by
local water purveyor(s) and the city.
(Ord. 2070 § 1, 2009)
The city may delegate to, or enter into an agreement with, one
or more local agencies to implement, administer, and/or enforce any
of the provisions of this chapter on behalf of the city.
(Ord. 2070 § 1, 2009)
