For the purposes of these regulations, unless otherwise apparent from the context, certain words and phrases used in these regulations are defined as follows:
"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.
"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.
"Community garden"means a piece of property or area of a property that is dedicated solely to edible plants and gardened by a cooperative group of people living in the area.
"Community water system"means a public water system which serves at least 15 service connections used by year-round residents or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents.
"Developer-installed"means a landscape project installed by or under the direction of the developer of a development project.
"Ecological restoration project"means a project where the primary function of such project is to assist in the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. For purposes of this chapter, restoration focuses on establishing the composition, structure, pattern, and ecological processes necessary to make terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems sustainable, resilient, and healthy under current and future conditions.
"ET adjustment factor (ETAF)"means, except for special landscape areas, a factor of 0.7 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 ET adjustment factor for special landscape areas shall not exceed 1.0.
"Evapotranspiration (ETO)"means the quantity of water evaporated from adjacent soil and other surfaces and transpired by plants during a specified time.
"Homeowner-provided landscaping"means any landscaping either installed by a private individual for a single-family residence or installed by a licensed contractor hired by a homeowner.
"Hydrozone"means a portion of the landscaped area having plants with similar water needs. A hydrozone may be irrigated or nonirrigated.
"Invasive plant species"means species of plants not historically found in California that spread outside cultivated areas and can damage environmental or economic resources.
"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.
"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 minimum average irrigation efficiency for purposes of this chapter is 0.71. Greater irrigation efficiency can be expected from well designed and maintained systems.
"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 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 project"means total area of landscape in a project as defined in "landscape area" for the purposes of this chapter, meeting requirements under RDMC §
13.40.020, Applicability.
(also "point source 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 plant.
"Low-head drainage"means water that flows out of the system after the valve turns off due to elevation changes within the system.
"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 (ETAF), and the size of the landscape area. The estimated total water use shall not exceed the maximum applied water allowance.
"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.
"Mulch"means any organic material such as leaves, bark, straw, compost, or inorganic mineral materials such as rocks, gravel, and 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 chapter, a new building or structure with a landscape, such as a house, accessory structure, pool, gazebo, or commercial or industrial building. This definition also includes other new landscapes, such as a park, playground, or greenbelt without an associated building.
"Overspray"means the irrigation water which is delivered beyond the target area.
"Pervious"means any surface or material that allows the passage of water through the material and into underlying soil.
"Plant factor"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."
"Rain sensor"means a component which automatically suspends an irrigation event when it rains.
"Recycled water"means treated or recycled wastewater of a quality suitable for nonpotable uses such as landscape irrigation and water features. This water is not intended for human consumption.
"Reference evapotranspiration (ET)"means a standard measurement of environmental parameters that affect the water use of plants, and is an estimate of the evapotranspiration of a large field of four-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 RDMC §
13.40.020, Applicability, and the modified landscape area is equal to or greater than 2,500 square feet, is 50 percent of the total landscape area, and the modifications are completed within one year.
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 (food producing gardens), areas irrigated with recycled water, water features using recycled water, stormwater detention basins, and areas dedicated to active play such as parks, sports fields, golf courses, and where turf provides a playing surface.
"Subsurface irrigation"means an irrigation device with a delivery line and water emitters installed below the soil surface that slowly and frequently emit small amounts of water into the soil to irrigate plant roots.
"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.
"Turf"means a groundcover surface of mowed grass. Annual bluegrass, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, red fescue, and tall fescue are cool-season grasses. Seashore paspalum, St. Augustine grass, Zoysia grass, and Buffalo grass are warm-season grasses. The meaning of "turf" does not include landscape areas planted with non-irrigated native California grasses.
"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. 378 § 1, 2020)