A. Design Requirements.
1. Irrigation systems shall be designed in accordance with the following:
a. Designs and materials shall be in accordance with the General Provisions as set forth in Section 15.50.025.
b. The EAWU for the total landscaped area shall not exceed the MAWA as set forth in Section 15.50.035.
c. The system shall be appropriate for and conform to the hydrozones of the landscape design plan.
d. All irrigation emission devices must meet the requirements set in the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard, American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers’/International Code Council’s (ASABE/ICC) 802-2014 “Landscape Irrigation Sprinkler and Emitter Standard.” All sprinkler heads installed in the landscape must document a distribution uniformity low quarter of 0.65 or higher using the protocol defined in ASABE/ICC 802-2014.
e. The system shall utilize “smart” automated irrigation technology as follows:
i. Automatic irrigation controllers utilizing either evapotranspiration or soil moisture sensor data using non-volatile memory shall be required for irrigation scheduling in all irrigation systems;
ii. Sensors (rain, freeze, wind, etc.), either integral or auxiliary, that suspend or alter irrigation operation during unfavorable weather conditions shall be required on all irrigation systems, as appropriate for local climatic conditions to avoid irrigation during windy or freezing weather or during rain; and
iii. High flow sensors that detect and report high flow conditions created by system damage or malfunction shall be provided for landscape areas with a slope greater than five feet height or for a landscape area over 5,000 square feet in size.
f. The following System Specifications shall be applied:
i. Each valve shall irrigate a hydrozone with similar site, slope, sun exposure, soil conditions, and plant materials with similar water use.
ii. Minimum average system irrigation efficiency shall be 0.71.
iii. Sprinkler heads and other emission devices shall be selected based on what is appropriate for the plant type within that hydrozone.
iv. Trees shall utilize bubbler or drip irrigation and, where feasible, be placed on separate valves from shrubs, groundcovers, and turf.
v. Sprinkler heads and other emission devices shall have matched precipitation rates, unless otherwise directed by the manufacturer's recommendations.
vi. In mulched planting areas, the use of low volume irrigation is required to maximize water infiltration into the root zone.
vii. Head to head coverage is recommended. However, sprinkler spacing shall be designed to achieve the highest possible distribution uniformity using the manufacturer’s recommendations.
viii. Swing joints or other riser-protection components are required on all risers subject to damage that are adjacent to high traffic areas.
ix. Check valves or anti-drain valves shall be utilized to minimize or prevent low-head drainage.
x. Narrow or irregularly shaped turf areas less than eight feet in width shall be irrigated with subsurface irrigation or other means that produce no runoff or overspray.
xi. Overhead irrigation shall not be permitted within 24 inches of any non-permeable surface. Allowable irrigation within the setback from non-permeable surfaces may include drip, drip line, or other low flow non-spray technology. The setback area may be planted or unplanted. The surfacing of the setback may be mulch, gravel, or other porous material. These restrictions may be modified if:
a. the landscape area is adjacent to permeable surfacing and no runoff occurs; or
b. the adjacent non-permeable surfaces are designed and constructed to drain entirely to landscaping; or
c. the irrigation designer specifies an alternative design or technology, as part of the Landscape Documentation Package and clearly demonstrates strict adherence to irrigation system design criteria in Section 15.50.050.A. Prevention of overspray and runoff must be confirmed during the irrigation audit.
xii. Spray heads, pop-up stream rotator heads, and stream rotor heads shall not be permitted within 24 inches of any non-permeable surface unless the adjacent non-permeable surface is designed and constructed to drain entirely to landscaping.
xiii. Turf areas shall be irrigated with equipment that has a precipitation rate of one inch or less per hour as specified by the manufacturer.
xiv. Areas with a slope percentage greater than 25% shall be irrigated with equipment that has a precipitation rate of 0.75 inches or less per hour as specified by the manufacturer. An exception to the precipitation rate may be granted by the Community Development Director for an area which is less than five feet high and 12 feet in length if it can be shown that the equipment meets the intent of this Ordinance. An irrigation audit will be required at the time of final completion.
xv. Manual shut-off valves shall be provided as close as possible to the point of connection to minimize water loss in case of an emergency or routine repair.(H) Master shut-off valves are required on all projects except landscapes that make use of technologies that allow for the individual control of sprinklers that are individually pressurized in a system equipped with low pressure shut down features.
xvi. Dynamic or operating pressure at each emission device shall be within the manufacturer's recommended pressure range for optimal performance:
• Pressure (static and dynamic/operating) and water supply flow measurements shall be taken at the point of connection or nearest service point at the earlier of the design stage or installation.
• Pressure-regulating devices, booster pumps, or other devices shall be installed if the static pressure is above or below the pressure required by the irrigation system.
xvii. Projects including unimproved private yards or open spaces to be landscaped or otherwise completed by the buyer of the lot shall comply with Section 15.50.090A.
g. Backflow shall be prevented in accordance with Plumbing Code and Engineering Department requirements.
h. Separate water meters for irrigation shall be provided when required by State law.
B. Content.
1. Plans shall:
a. Be prepared by and bear the signature of a professional appropriately licensed in the State of California to provide professional
irrigation design services; the signature shall be accompanied by a date and the following statement: “I have complied with the City of Fullerton Landscape Ordinance for the efficient use of water in preparing the Irrigation Design Plan.”
b. Provide Water Efficient Landscape Worksheet (Appendix “C”).
c. Provide project summary information which at a minimum includes:
• Average irrigation efficiency of total landscaped area.
• Percentage of total landscaped, based on square footage, irrigated with spray heads (spray, pop-up stream rotator, stream rotor, or other spray) versus non-spray heads (micro-spray, bubbler, drip emitter, subsurface, or other non-spray).
d. Identify components of the Landscaped Area:
i. Planting Areas and Turf Areas.
• Delineate and label each hydrozone by number, letter, or other method for identification and indicate on a separate table the water use for each hydrozone (low, moderate, high, low-moderate mix, or moderate-high mix);
• Temporarily irrigated areas of the landscape shall be included in the low water use hydrozone for the water budget calculation;
• Spatially locate the irrigation system components within each hydrozone and identify corresponding valves by number and indicate on a separate table the type and size of all components including controllers, main and lateral lines, valves, sprinkler heads, moisture sensing devices, rain switches, quick couplers, pressure regulators, and backflow prevention devices;
• Identify the location and size of separate water meters or sub-meters for landscape;
• Provide the static water pressure at the point of connection to the public water supply; and
• Provide the flow rate (gallons per minute), application rate (inches per hour), and design operating pressure (pressure per square inch) for each station.
ii. Recycled water irrigation systems.
• Provide irrigation schedule parameters necessary to program automatic irrigation controllers for the landscape establishment period (first six months after installation unless otherwise specified by landscape professional); and
• Provide irrigation schedule parameters necessary to program automatic irrigation controllers following the establishment period.
iii. Water Features.
• Spatially locate recirculating system and components; and
• Spatially locate recycled or reclaimed water system and components.
(Ord. 3226 (part), 2016; Ord. 3134, 2009)