A. On April 1, 2015, Governor Jerry Brown issued Executive Order No. B-29-15 directing the California Department of Water Resources to update the state's model water efficient landscape ordinance. Local agencies, consistent with the Department's regulations and the Water Conservation in Landscaping Act (California Government Code Section 65591 et seq.), must, by December 1, 2015, adopt the model ordinance (as set forth in Chapter 2.7 of Division 2 of Title 23 of the California Code of Regulations) or a water efficient landscape ordinance that is, based on evidence in the record, at least as effective in conserving water as the model ordinance.
B. The Legislature, in the Water Conservation in Landscaping Act, has made the following findings:
1. The waters of the state are of limited supply and are subject to ever increasing demands;
2. The continuation of California's economic prosperity is dependent on the availability of adequate supplies of water for future uses;
3. It is the policy of the state to promote the conservation and efficient use of water and to prevent the waste of this valuable resource;
4. Landscapes are essential to the quality of life in California by providing areas for active and passive recreation and as an enhancement to the environment by cleaning air and water, preventing erosion, offering fire protection, and replacing ecosystems lost to development;
5. Landscape design, installation, maintenance and management can and should be water efficient; and
6. Section 2 of Article X of the California Constitution specifies that the right to use water is limited to the amount reasonably required for the beneficial use to be served and the right does not extend to waste or unreasonable method of use.
C. Consistent with these legislative findings, the purpose of this chapter is to comply with the Water Conservation in Landscaping Act by adopting an ordinance based on the provisions of the updated model water efficient landscape ordinance issued by the California Department of Water Resources, that:
1. Promotes the values and benefits of landscaping practices that integrate and go beyond the conservation and efficient use of water;
2. Establishes a structure for planning, designing, installing, maintaining, and managing water efficient landscapes in new construction and rehabilitated landscape projects;
3. Establishes provisions for water management practices and water waste prevention for existing landscapes over one acre in size;
4. Promotes water efficiency by setting a maximum applied water allowance as an upper limit for water use and reducing water use to the lowest practical amount; and
5. Is consistent with landscape ordinances of neighboring local and regional agencies. (Ord. 2015-0038 § 2)