Chapter 19.22 — WATER-EFFICIENT LANDSCAPING

This chapter is intended to implement the landscape design requirements of the Water Conservation in Landscaping Act of 2006 (AB 1881) and to establish standards for sustainable landscape practices in accordance with the StopWaste.Org Bay

Friendly Landscape guidelines. It ensures that urbanized areas are sufficiently augmented by adequate, water-efficient, landscaping and open space in order to:

• (A) Shade vehicles in parking lots.

• (B) Break up extensive stretches of paving.

• (C) Reduce impervious areas.

(D) Provide natural solar insulation for buildings, to screen certain types of land uses where appropriate.

(E) Create interesting and defined entries to facilities.

• (F) Soften project perimeters.

(Ord. 2015-05 § 3, 2015.)

(A) Applicability. A conceptual landscape plan shall be required for all entitlements for which design permit approval is required (Chapter 19.41).

(B) 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) Plant collections, as part of botanical gardens and arboretums open to the public.

• (C) Review and Approval.

(1) Conceptual landscape plans shall be reviewed and approved by the planning commission, except for entitlements subject to the approval of the community development director (pursuant to Chapter 19.40, Review and Approval Procedures).

(2) Final landscape plans, as defined by Chapter 16.13 of the municipal code, shall be subject to review and approval by the community development director.

(Ord. 2015-05 § 3, 2015.)

Cross References

Section 19.22.030

The terms used in this chapter have the meaning set forth below:

"Applied water'' means the portion of water supplied by the irrigation system to the landscape.

"Bay-Friendly Landscape Guidelines" means the most recent version of the guidelines developed by StopWaste.Org for use in the professional design, construction and maintenance of landscapes.

"City" means the city of American Canyon and its representatives.

"Conceptual landscape plan" means a preliminary landscape plan submitted to the city for review with a discretionary application.

"Conversion factor (0.62)" means the number that converts acre-inches per acre per year to gallons per square foot per year.

"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.

"Ecological restoration project" means a project where the site is intentionally altered to establish a defined, indigenous, historic ecosystem.

"Estimated total water use (ETWU)" means the total water used for the landscape as described in Section 492.4.

"ET adjustment factor (ETAF)" means 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.

"Evapotranspiration rate" means the quantity of water evaporated from adjacent soil and other surfaces and transpired by plants during a specified time.

"Final landscape plan" means a landscape plan submitted to the city for review and issuance of building permits and contains the same elements as the conceptual landscape plan.

"Flow rate" means the rate at which water flows through pipes, valves and emission devices, measured in gallons per minute, gallons per hour, or cubic feet per second.

"Hardscapes" means any durable material (pervious and non-pervious).

"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. A homeowner, for purposes of this chapter, is a person who occupies the dwelling he or she owns. This excludes speculative homes, which are not owner-occupied dwellings.

"Hydrozone" means a portion of the landscaped area having plants with similar water needs. 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).

"Invasive plant species" means species of plants not historically found in California that spread outside cultivated areas and can damage environmental or economic resources.

"Landscape architect" means a person who holds a license to practice landscape architecture in the state of California Business and Professions Code Section 5615 .

"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 documentation package" means the documents required under Section 16.14.050.

"Landscape project" means total area of landscape in a project as defined in "landscape area" for the purposes of this chapter, meeting requirements under Section 19.22.020.

"Lawn" means an area of short, mown grass in a yard, garden, or park.

"Maximum applied water allowance (MAWA)" means the upper limit of annual applied water for the established landscaped area as specified in Section 19.22.060. It is based upon the area's reference evapotranspiration, the ET adjustment factor, and the size of the landscape area.

"Mulch" means any organic material such as leaves, bark, arbor or wood chips, recycled wood waste, 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.

"Native species" means plants from the local microclimate or Northern California species.

"New construction" 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.

"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 that, when multiplied by ETo, estimates the amount of water needed by plants.

"Project applicant" means the individual or entity submitting a landscape documentation package required under Section 19.22.050, to request a permit, plan check, or design permit 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 publicly owned or publicly accessible areas dedicated to active play such as parks, sports fields, and golf courses where turf provides a playing surface.

"Recycled water," "reclaimed water," or "treated sewage effluent water" means treated or recycled waste water of a quality suitable for non-potable 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 Section 19.22.060, 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 permit, meets the requirements of Section 19.22.020, and the modified landscape area is equal to or greater than two thousand five hundred square feet, is fifty percent of the total landscape area, and the modifications are completed within one year.

"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, areas irrigated with recycled water, water features using recycled water and areas dedicated to active play such as parks, sports fields, golf courses, and where turf provides a playing surface.

"Turf" means a species of grass that was developed to be used as a lawn together with the surface layer of earth held together by its roots.

"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).

"WUCOLS" means the Water Use Classification of Landscape Species published by the University of California Cooperative Extension, the Department of Water Resources and the Bureau of Reclamation, 2100.

(Ord. 2015-05 § 3, 2015.)

(A) General Requirements and Standards.

(1) The setbacks from streets required by the schedule of zoning district regulations shall be fully landscaped except in single-family districts where parking may be permitted as specified in this title.

(2) All landscaped areas shall be protected by six-inch concrete curbing.

(3) Parking and circulation areas shall be landscaped according to the requirements of this title.

(4) The use of turf in new residential projects is limited to the rear yard.

(5) Landscaping should be used to separate parking and vehicle circulation areas from buildings, to provide a visual landscaped foreground for buildings, and to enhance the perimeter of a project.

(6) Live plant materials generally should be used in all landscaped areas. Bark should only be utilized as mulch, not as a permanent form of groundcover.

(7) Landscape planters abutting parking areas shall be sufficiently large to allow for vehicle overhang without extending into the planting area.

(B) Trees.

(1) Landscape plans for sites on major streets should include large-scale street trees, with deep root systems and broad canopies.

(2) Tree planting shall consider passive solar heating and cooling opportunities related to building orientation.

(3) Trees shall be provided in parking lot areas in a manner that provides shading of parked vehicles to the maximum extent feasible.

(4) Trees shall be properly supported. Stakes and ties on trees shall be checked regularly for correct functions. Ties shall be adjusted to avoid creating abrasions or girdling on trunks or branches.

(C) Hard Surfaces. Required planter or landscaped areas may be combined with pedestrian walks and similar hard surface areas, provided that such hard surface areas do not cover more than thirty percent of any required planter or landscaped areas. Ornamental or landscaping rock and gravel areas, artificial turf, or other areas covered with other artificial materials shall be considered hard surface areas for the purpose of this provision.

(D) Slopes.

(1) All manufactured slopes over five feet in height created by grading shall be fully landscaped utilizing a combination of trees, shrubs and groundcover materials.

(2) Stabilizing jute netting or equivalent netting shall be provided in conjunction with the landscape planting and shall fully cover lower slope areas.

(E) Installation.

(1) All landscaping and planter areas shall be installed consistent with an approved final landscape plan prior to final building permit sign-off or granting of an occupancy permit for a project.

(2) Prior to the installation of landscaping in any public right-of-way, the developer shall provide for continued maintenance until such areas are accepted by the city or as defined in a subdivision improvement agreement.

(F) Maintenance. Required landscaped areas shall be continually maintained in good condition and kept clean and weeded. Good maintenance shall be interpreted to include: watering and maintaining water efficiency, weeding, pruning, insect and disease control, and replacement of plant materials and irrigation equipment as needed to preserve the health and appearance of plant materials.

(Ord. 2015-05 § 3, 2015.)

Cross References Section 19.14.070(I)(8) Section 19.22.050(A)(1)(f)

(A) The conceptual landscape documentation plan, submitted as part of the discretionary application, shall include the following:

• (1) Project information:

  • (a) Date;

(b) Project applicant;

• (c) Project address (if available, parcel and/or lot number(s));

• (d) Total landscape area (square feet);

• (e) Water supply type (e.g., potable, recycled, well);

(f) Landscape requirements identified in Sections 19.22.040 and 19.22.060;

(g) Project contacts to include contact information for the project applicant and property owner.

(2) Water-efficient landscape worksheet in Section 19.22.060:

• (a) Hydrozone information table;

• (b) Water budget calculations:

  • (i) Maximum applied water allowance (MAWA),

  • (ii) Estimated total water use (ETWU).

(3) Plants shall be selected and planted appropriately based upon their adaptability to the climatic, geologic, and topographical conditions of the project site.

(4) The use of turf in new residential projects is limited to twenty-five percent of the rear yard of each home.

(5) On nonresidential projects, turf is not allowed on slopes greater than twenty-five percent where the toe of the slope is adjacent to an impermeable hardscape and where twenty-five percent means one foot of vertical elevation change for every four feet of horizontal length (rise divided by run x 100 = slope percent).

(6) Total irrigated areas specified as turf shall be limited to a maximum of twenty-five percent with recreational areas exempted.

(7) Turf is prohibited in street medians, traffic islands or bulb outs of any size.

(8) A landscape design plan for projects in fire-prone areas shall address fire safety and prevention. A defensible space or zone around a building or structure is required per California Public Resources Code Section 4291(a) and (b). Avoid fire-prone plant materials and highly flammable mulches.

(9) Those species identified by CAL-IPC as invasive in the San Francisco Bay Area shall not be specified.

(10) Landscape plans shall bear the signature of a licensed landscape architect, licensed landscape contractor, or any other person authorized to design a landscape. (See 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 Food and Agriculture Code.)

(Ord. 2015-05 § 3, 2015.)

Cross References Section 19.22.030

(A) A project applicant shall complete the water-efficient landscape worksheet which contains two sections:

(1) A hydrozone information table for the landscape project.

(2) A water budget calculation for the landscape project. For the calculation of the maximum applied water allowance and estimated total water use, a project applicant shall use the ETo values from the table below:

• The values in this table were derived from:

(1) California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS);

(2) Reference Evapotranspiration Zones Map, University of California, Davis - Dept. of Land, Air & Water Resources and California Dept. of Water Resources 1999;

(3) Reference Evapotranspiration for California, University of California, Davis - Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (1987) Bulletin 1922;

(4) Determining Daily Reference Evapotranspiration, Cooperative Extension University of California, Davis - Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (1987), Publication Leaflet 21426.

(B) Water budget calculations shall adhere to the following requirements:

(1) The plant factor used shall be from WUCOLS. The plant factor ranges from 0 to 0.3 for low water use plants, from 0.4 to 0.6 for moderate water use plants, and from 0.7 to 1.0 for high water use plants.

(2) All water features shall be included in the high water use hydrozone and temporarily irrigated areas shall be included in the low water use hydrozone.

(3) All special landscape areas shall be identified and their water use calculated as described below.

(4) ETAF for special landscape areas shall not exceed 1.0.

(C) Maximum Applied Water Allowance. The maximum applied water allowance shall be calculated using the equation:

MAWA = (ETo) (0.62) [(0.7 x LA) + (0.3 x SLA)]

(D) Estimated Total Water Use. The estimated total water use shall be calculated using the equation below. The sum of the estimated total water use calculated for all hydrozones shall not exceed MAWA.

Where:

ETWU = Estimated Total Water Use per year (gallons)

ETo = Reference Evapotranspiration (inches)

PF = Plant Factor from WUCOLS (see Section 491)

HA = Hydrozone Area [high, medium, and low water use areas] (square feet)

SLA = Special Landscape Area (square feet)

0.62 = Conversion Factor

IE = Irrigation Efficiency (minimum 0.71)

(Ord. 2015-05 § 3, 2015.) Cross References Section 19.22.030 Section 19.22.050(A)(1)(f) Section 19.22.050(A)(2)

(A) The installation of recycled water irrigation systems shall allow for the current and future use of recycled water, unless a written exemption has been granted as described in subsection B.

(B) Irrigation systems and decorative water features shall use recycled water unless a written exemption has been granted by the city stating that recycled water meeting all public health codes and standards is not available and will not be available for the foreseeable future.

(C) All recycled water irrigation systems shall be designed and operated in accordance with all applicable local and state laws.

(D) Landscapes using recycled water are considered special landscape areas. The ET adjustment factor for special landscape areas shall not exceed 1.0.

(Ord. 2015-05 § 3, 2015.)

Cross References Section 16.14.110(B)(7)(e)

All landscape plans shall conform to Chapter 14.28 Stormwater and Pollution Discharge Control Program.

(Ord. 2015-05 § 3, 2015.)