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(a) The grading design plan shall be prepared by a landscape architect, civil engineer or architect licensed by the State of California. A homeowner of a single family residence required to submit a grading design plan may prepare their own plans, or have a licensed landscape contractor prepare the grading design plan if the homeowner has contracted with that contractor to do the work covered by the plan. Property owners may prepare Grading Design Plans and specifications for any property owned by that person. Grading Plans required per the County's Grading Ordinance will satisfy these requirements, but shall be prepared by a California licensed civil engineer. The grading design plan shall comply with following requirements:
(1) The grading on the project site shall be designed for the efficient use of water by minimizing soil erosion, runoff and water waste, resulting from precipitation and irrigation.
(2) The plan shall show the finished configurations and elevations of each landscaped area including the height of graded slopes, the drainage pattern, pad elevations, finish grade and any stormwater retention improvements. All Structural BMP's shall be labeled.
(3) The Grading Design Plan shall demonstrate grading has been designed to avoid obstructing roadway users' (e.g., motorists', bicyclists', pedestrians', and equestrians') views of pedestrian crossings, driveways, roadways, other vehicular travel ways, traffic signs, and traffic signals. Sight distance lines, as provided by a California registered Civil Engineer using the sight distance requirements defined in the County Public Road Standards, shall be shown on the plans as applicable.
(b) If the project applicant has submitted a grading plan with the application for the project the Director of PDS may accept that grading plan in lieu of the grading design plan required by this section, if the grading plan complies with subsection (a) above.
(Amended by Ord. No. 10224 (N.S.), effective 10-25-12)
The Water Efficient Landscape Worksheet in Appendix B to Title 23 California Code of Regulations section 429.4 shall be submitted with the Landscape Documentation Package. The worksheet shall be prepared by a landscape architect, civil engineer or architect licensed by the State of California. A homeowner of a single family residence required to submit a water efficient landscape worksheet may prepare their own worksheet, or have a licensed landscape contractor prepare the water efficient worksheet if the homeowner has contracted with that landscape contractor to install the landscaping and irrigation covered by the plan for which the worksheet was prepared. Property owners may also prepare worksheets for any property owned by that person. The water efficient worksheet shall contain all of the following:
(a) Information on the plant factor, irrigation method, irrigation efficiency, and area associated with each hydrozone. Calculations are then made to show that the evapotranspiration adjustment factor (ETAF) for the landscape project does not exceed a factor of 0.42 for residential and non-residential areas, exclusive of Special Landscape Areas.
(1) The ETAF for a landscape project is based on the plant factors and irrigation methods selected, and when applied to reference evapotranspiration, a factor adjusts for plant water requirements and irrigation efficiencies.
(2) The MAWA is calculated based on the maximum ETAF allowed (0.42 for residential and non-residential areas) and shall be expressed in annual gallons.
(3) The Estimated Total Water Use is calculated based on the plants used and irrigation method selected for the landscape design. ETWU shall be expressed in annual gallons and must be below the MAWA.
(b) Water budget calculations shall adhere to the following requirements:
(1) The plant factor used shall be from WUCOLS, or may be obtained from horticultural researchers from academic institutions or professional associations as approved by the California Department of Water Resources. The plant factor ranges from 0 to 0.1 for very low water use plants, 0.2 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. If plants within a hydrozone have different water use requirements the hydrozone category shall be determined using the highest water using plant. Any plant may be selected for the landscape providing the Estimated Total Water Use in the landscape area does not exceed the Maximum Applied Water Allowance.
(2) Temporarily irrigated areas shall be included in the low water use hydrozone. Temporarily irrigated as used in this chapter means the period of time when plantings only receive water until they become established.
(3) The surface area of a water feature shall be included in a high water use hydrozone unless the water feature is a pool or a spa with a durable cover. In that case, the water feature may be included in a moderate water use hydrozone. Pool and spa covers are not required but highly recommended in conserving water due to evaporation.
(4) All Special Landscape Areas shall be identified and their water use calculated as shown on the Water Efficient Landscape Worksheet. The ETAF for new and existing Special Landscape Areas shall not exceed 1.0.
(a) A landscape project subject to this chapter shall not exceed the MAWA. The MAWA for a new landscape project shall be determined by the following calculation:
MAWA = (ETo)(0.62) [(ETAF x LA) + ((1-ETAF) x SLA)]
(b) The abbreviations used in the equation have the following meanings:
(1) MAWA = Maximum Applied Water Allowance in gallons per year, or annual gallons allowed.
(2) ETo = Evapotranspiration in inches per year.
(3) 0.62 = Conversion factor to gallons per square foot.
(4) ETAF (0.42 for residential and non-residential areas).
(5) LA = Landscaped area, including the special landscaped area in square feet.
(6) 1-ETAF = the additional ET adjustment factor for a special landscaped area
(7) SLA = Portion of the landscaped area identified as a special landscaped area in square feet.
(c) If a public water purveyor establishes a MAWA for a property that is different than the MAWA established pursuant to this chapter, the stricter MAWA shall prevail.
(a) An applicant for a project subject to this chapter shall calculate the estimated water use for each hydrozone using the following equation:
(1) ETWU = ETo x 0.62 x ETAF x Area
(2) The sum of all landscaped areas shall be the ETWU for the project.
(b) The abbreviations used in the equation have the following meanings:
(1) ETWU = Estimated total water use in gallons per year, or annual gallons required.
(2) ETo = Evapotranspiration in inches per year.
(3) 0.62 = Conversion factor to gallons per square foot.
(4) ETAF = Evapotranspiration Adjustment Factor = Plant Factor/Irrigation Efficiency.
(5) Area = Landscaped area in square feet.
(c) The ETWU for a proposed project shall not exceed the MAWA.
Rock and stone or pervious design features such as decomposed granite ground cover that are adjacent to a vegetated area may be (but are not required to be) included in the calculation of the MAWA and ETWU provided the features are integrated into the design of the landscape area and the primary purpose of the feature is decorative.
The total of all water features for a project, except for a swimming pool or spa, shall be limited to 15 percent of the total landscaped area of the project, or as determined by the Water Efficient Landscape Worksheet. Recirculating water systems must be used for all water features. Where available, recycled water shall be used as a source of water for decorative water features.
The following regulations shall apply to the use of turf on a project subject to this chapter:
(a) Irrigated turf shall not exceed 25 percent of the total aggregate landscaped area for single family residences and multi-family residential projects.
(b) No irrigated turf is allowed in non-residential areas unless included in a special landscape area. In multi-family residential areas turf is only allowed where it is readily useable by residents and serves more than just an ornamental function.
(c) Only subsurface irrigation or other means that produces no runoff or overspray shall be used for turf in a landscaped area where any dimension of the turf area is less than ten feet wide.
(d) Turf and all other high water use plants, characterized by a plant factor of 0.7 to 1.0 are prohibited in street medians.
(e) Turf shall not be allowed on slopes greater than 25 percent grade where the toe of the slope is adjacent to an impermeable hardscape.
(f) A ball field, park, golf course, cemetery and other similar use shall be designed to limit irrigated turf in any portion of a landscaped area not essential for the operation of the facility. Non-irrigated synthetic turf would be acceptable in these locations.
(g) No turf shall be allowed in a landscaped area if the turf cannot be irrigated without causing runoff, overspray or other wasteful water uses.
A person submitting an application for a Major Use Permit for a cemetery shall also submit the following:
(a) A concept plan, as described in section 86.704(b)(2).
(b) A water efficient irrigation worksheet that calculates the MAWA for the project with the application that complies with section 86.711.
(c) A landscape and irrigation maintenance schedule that complies with section 86.727.
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