A. Irrigation systems shall be designed to maximize irrigation efficiency.
B. Landscaped areas shall be provided with a smart automatic irrigation controller. Smart irrigation controllers shall be WaterSense® labeled and automatically adjust the frequency and/or duration of irrigation events in response to changing weather conditions. All controllers shall be equipped with automatic rain delay or rain shut-off capabilities.
C. Each valve shall irrigate a landscape with similar site, slope, and soil conditions. Plants watered by a valve should have similar watering needs. Turf and non-turf areas shall be irrigated on separate valves. Drip emitters and sprinklers shall be placed on separate valves.
D. Drip emitters or a bubbler shall be provided for each tree. Bubblers shall not exceed 1.5 gallons per minute per device. Bubblers for trees shall be placed on a separate valve unless specifically exempted by the City due to the limited number of trees on the project site. Drip irrigation or bubblers shall be used to irrigate plants in non-turf areas.
E. Pop-up spray heads shall be at a minimum of four (4) inches in height to avoid blockage from lawn foliage.
F. Sprinkler heads shall be attached to rigid lateral lines with flexible material (swing joints) to reduce potential for breakage.
G. Check valves shall be required where elevation differences cause low-head drainage. Pressure compensating valves and sprinklers shall be required where a significant variation in water pressure occurs within the irrigation system due to elevation differences.
H. Filters shall be required on all secondary water service connections. Filters shall have as a minimum a 30 mesh screen and shall be cleaned and maintained by the property owner on a regular basis.
I. Drip irrigation lines require additional filtration at or after the zone valve at a minimum of 200 mesh and end flush valves are required as necessary for drip irrigation lines.
J. Valves with spray or stream sprinklers shall be scheduled to operate in accordance with local water supplier restrictions to reduce water loss from wind, evaporation, or other environmental conditions not suitable for irrigation.
K. Program valves for multiple repeat cycles where necessary to reduce runoff, particularly on slopes and soils with slow infiltration rates. (Ord. 2022-06, 2-22-2022)