A. Maintenance. Landscapes shall be maintained to ensure water use efficiency. A landscape maintenance schedule consistent with Section 16.28.060(C)(17)(m) shall be prepared and submitted with the Certificate of Completion and provided to the property owner and director. The maintenance schedule shall identify plant types (i.e., turf, shrubs, groundcover, trees, etc.), mulch and/or inorganic groundcover, and shall indicate the frequency of pruning and fertilizer applications by plant type and the replenishment of mulch.
Maintenance of approved landscaping shall consist of regular watering, mowing, pruning, fertilizing, clearing of debris and weeds, monitoring for pests and disease, the removal and timely replacement of dead plants, and the repair and timely replacement of irrigation systems and integrated architectural features.
Repair of irrigation equipment shall be done with originally specified material or their equivalent or with components with greater efficiency.
B. Irrigation Audits. New or rehabilitated landscape areas, subject to the provisions of this chapter, shall be subject to an irrigation audit. The irrigation audit shall include inspection of plant materials and irrigation systems in accordance with the State of California Landscape Water Management Program, as described in the Landscape Irrigation Auditors Handbook (latest edition).
In large projects or projects with multiple landscape installation (i.e. production home developments) an auditing rate of 1 in 7 lots or approximately 15% will satisfy this requirement.
Irrigation audits will be coordinated with the water purveyor and shall be conducted by a certified landscape irrigation auditor. Landscape audits shall not be conducted by the person who designed the landscape or installed the landscape.
(Ord. 539 § 11, 2018; Ord. 443 §3, 2010; Ord. 182 § 2 (part), 1997)