The terms used in this article have the meaning set forth below:
"Applied water"
means the portion of water supplied by the irrigation system
to the landscape.
"Automatic irrigation control"
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.
"Backflow prevention device"
means a safety device used to prevent pollution or contamination
of the water supply due to the reverse flow of water from the irrigation
system.
"Certified irrigation designer"
means a person certified to design irrigation systems by
an accredited academic institution, a professional trade organization
or other program such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's
WaterSense irrigation designer certification program and Irrigation
Association's Certified Irrigation Designer program.
"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.
"Check valve" or "anti-drain valve"
means a valve located under a sprinkler head, or other location
in the irrigation system, to hold water in the system to prevent drainage
from sprinkler heads when the sprinkler is off.
"Common interest developments"
means community apartment projects, condominium projects,
planned developments, and stock cooperatives per California Civil
Code Section 1351.
"Compost"
means the safe and stable product of controlled biologic
decomposition of organic materials that is beneficial to plans growth.
"Drip irrigation"
means any non-spray low volume irrigation system utilizing
emission devices with a flow rate measured in gallons per hour. Low
volume irrigation systems are specifically designed to apply small
volumes of water slowly at or near the root zone of plants.
"Emitter"
means a drip irrigation emission device that delivers water
slowly from the system to the soil.
"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 (non-rehabilitated) special landscape
areas shall not exceed 1.0. The ETAF for existing non-rehabilitated
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.
"Flow sensor"
means an inline device installed at the supply point of the
irrigation system that produces repeatable signal proportional to
flow rate. Flow sensors must be connected to an automatic irrigation
controller, or flow monitor capable of receiving flow signals operating
master valves. This combination of flow sensor/controller may also
function as a landscape water meter or submeter.
"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.
"Fuel modification plan guideline"
means guidelines from a local fire authority to assist residents
and businesses that are developing land or building structures in
a fire hazard severity zone.
"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.
See California
Health and Safety Code Section 17922.12.
"Hardscape"
means any durable material (pervious and non-pervious).
"Hydrozone"
means a portion of the landscaped area having plants with
similar water needs and rooting depth. A hydrozone may be irrigated
or non-irrigated.
"Infiltration rate"
means the rate of water entry into the soil expressed as
a depth of water per unit of time (e.g., inches per hour).
"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 efficiency 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 footprints of buildings
or structures, sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, decks, patios,
gravel or stone walks, other pervious or non-pervious hardscapes,
and other non-irrigated areas designated for non-development (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 project"
means total area of landscape in a project as defined in
"landscape area" for the purposes of this section.
"Landscape water meter"
means an inline device installed at the irrigation supply
point that measures the flow of water into the irrigation system and
is connected to a totalizer (measuring cumulative water flow) to record
water use.
"Lateral line"
means the water delivery pipeline that supplies water to
the emitters or sprinklers from the valve.
"Local water purveyor"
means the entity, whether public agency or private water
company that provides retail water service to the subject property.
"Low volume irrigation"
means the application of irrigation water at low pressure
through a system of tubing or lateral lines and low-volume emitters
such as drip, drip lines, and bubblers. Low volume irrigation systems
are specifically designed to apply small volumes of water slowly at
or near the root zone of plants.
"Main line"
means the pressurized pipeline that delivers water from the
water source to the valve or outlet.
"Master shut-off valve"
is an automatic valve installed at the irrigation supply
point which controls water flow into the irrigation system. When this
valve is closed water will not be supplied to the irrigation system.
A master valve will greatly reduce any water loss due to a leaky station
valve.
"Maximum applied water allowance (MAWA)"
means the upper limit of annual applied water for the established
landscaped area. 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 (SLAs), including recreation areas,
areas permanently and solely dedicated to edible plants such as orchards
and vegetable gardens, and areas irrigated with reclaimed 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)]
"Microclimate"
means the climate of a small, specific area that may contrast
with the climate of the overall landscape area due to factors such
as wind, sun exposure, plant density, or proximity to reflective surfaces.
"Mined-land reclamation project"
means any surface mining operation with a reclamation plan
approved in accordance with the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act
of 1975.
"Mulch"
means any organic material such as leaves, bark, straw, compost,
or inorganic mineral materials such as rocks, gravel, or decomposed
granite left loose and applied to the soil surface for the beneficial
purposes of reducing evaporation, suppressing weeds, moderating soil
temperature, and preventing soil erosion.
"New construction"
means, for the purposes of this article, a new building with
a landscape or other new landscape, such as a park, playground, or
greenbelt without an associated building.
"Non-resident 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.
"Operating pressure"
means the pressure at which the parts of an irrigation system
are designed by the manufacturer to operate.
"Overspray"
means the irrigation water which is delivered beyond the
target area.
"Parkway"
means the area between a sidewalk and the curb or traffic
lane. It may be planted or unplanted, and with or without pedestrian
egress.
"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.
"Project applicant"
means the individual or entity submitting a landscape documentation package required under Section
10-2.1203 (Compliance with landscape documentation package), 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-built"
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 areas"
means areas, excluding private single-family residential
areas, designated for active play, recreation or public assembly in
parks, sports fields, picnic grounds, amphitheaters or golf course
tees, fairways, roughs, surrounds and greens.
"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, and is an estimate of the vapotranspiration of
a large field of four inch to seven inch tall, cool-season grass that
is well watered.
"Rehabilitated landscape"
means any relandscaping project that requires a permit, plan
check, or design review, meets the requirements of this section, 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.
"Soil texture"
means the classification of soil based on its percentage
of sand, silt, and clay.
"Special landscape area"
means an area of the landscape dedicated solely to edible
plants, areas irrigated with reclaimed water, water features using
reclaimed water and areas dedicated to active play such as parks,
sports fields, golf courses, and where turf provides a playing surface.
"Station"
means an area served by one valve or by a set of valves that
operate simultaneously.
"Submeter"
means a metering device to measure water applied to the landscape
that is installed after the primary utility water meter.
"Swing joint"
means an irrigation component that provides a flexible, leak-free
connection between the emission device and lateral pipeline to allow
movement in any direction and to prevent equipment damage.
"Totalizer"
is an instrument that measures cumulative water flow.
"Turf"
means a ground cover surface of mowed grass.
"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.