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(a) Stormwater management practices minimize runoff and increase infiltration which recharges groundwater and improves water quality. Stormwater best management practices are implemented in the design of landscape and grading plans in order to minimize wet weather runoff, prevent irrigation runoff, to increase harvest and use through on-site rainwater retention and to increase infiltration.
(b) Project applicants shall refer to the local agency or Regional Water Quality Control Board for information on any applicable stormwater technical requirements. Projects shall be compliant with all applicable Fact Sheets within the County's Best Management Practice's Design Manual.
(c) All planted landscape areas are required to have friable soil to maximize water retention and infiltration and to otherwise meet the requirements set forth in section 86.709. All vegetated structural BMPs or any other vegetated BMPs shall be labeled.
(d) All landscape areas shall be designed for capture and infiltration of stormwater and non-stormwater in accordance with the Watershed Protection, Stormwater Management and Discharge Control Ordinance, San Diego County Code of Regulatory Ordinances section 67.801 et seq.
(Added by Ord. No. 10427 (N.S.), effective 5-27-16)
(a) For those projects eligible to utilize and electing to use the Prescriptive Compliance Option to comply with this chapter, the following items are mandatory and must be submitted to the Director of PDS:
(1) A Prescriptive Compliance Option Plan which includes the following elements:
(A) date
(B) project applicant
(C) project address (if available, parcel and/or lot number(s))
(D) total landscape area (square feet), including a breakdown of turf and plant material
(E) project type (e.g., new, modified, public, private, cemetery, homeowner-installed)
(F) water supply type (e.g., potable, recycled, well, graywater) and identify the local retail water purveyor if the applicant is not served by a private well
(G) contact information for the project applicant and property owner
(H) applicant signature and date with statement, "I agree to comply with the requirements of the Prescriptive Compliance Option contained in Title 8, Division 6, Chapter 7, of the San Diego County Code of Regulatory Ordinances related to water conservation in landscaping.
(2) Incorporate compost at a rate of at least four cubic yards per 1,000 square feet to a depth of six inches into landscape area (unless contra-indicated by a soil test in which prescribed volumes of compost can be modified as approved by the Director);
(3) Plant material shall comply with all of the following:
(A) for residential areas, install climate adapted plants that require occasional, little or no summer water (average WUCOLS plant factor 0.3) for 75 percent of the plant area excluding edibles and areas using recycled water; for non-residential areas, install climate adapted plants that require occasional, little or no summer water (average WUCOLS plant factor 0.3) for 100 percent of the plant area excluding edibles and areas using recycled water;
(B) a minimum three inch (3 inch) layer of mulch shall be applied on all exposed soil surfaces of planting areas except in turf areas, creeping or rooting groundcovers, or direct seeding applications where mulch is contraindicated. Prescribed depths of mulch and location may be modified as approved by the Director;
(C) to increase carbon sequestration in the unincorporated county, each new single-family residential project shall include two trees per dwelling unit. Trees shall be located on private land outside of the public right-of-way. See the County's Water Efficient Landscape Design Manual for tree planting guidelines and a definition of which single-family residential projects must comply with this requirement.
(4) Irrigated turf shall comply with all of the following:
(A) Turf shall not exceed 25 percent of the landscape area in residential areas, and there shall be no turf in non-residential areas;
(B) Turf shall not be planted on sloped areas which exceed a slope of 1 foot vertical elevation change for every 4 feet of horizontal length;
(C) Turf is prohibited in parkways less than 10 feet wide, unless the parkway is adjacent to a parking strip and used to enter and exit vehicles. Any turf in parkways must be irrigated by sub-surface irrigation or by other technology that creates no overspray or runoff.
(5) Irrigation systems shall comply with the following:
(A) Automatic irrigation controllers are required and must use evapotranspiration or soil moisture sensor data and utilize a rain sensor.
(B) Irrigation controllers shall be of a type which does not lose programming data in the event the primary power source is interrupted.
(C) Pressure regulators shall be installed on the irrigation system to ensure the dynamic pressure of the system is within the manufacturers recommended pressure range.
(D) Manual shut-off valves (such as a gate valve, ball valve, or butterfly valve) shall be installed as close as possible to the point of connection of the water supply.
(E) All irrigation emission devices must meet the requirements set in the ANSI standard, 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.
(F) Areas less than 10 feet in width in any direction shall be irrigated with subsurface irrigation or other means that produces no runoff or overspray.
(6) For non-residential projects with landscape areas of 1,000 square feet or more, a private submeter(s) to measure landscape water use shall be installed. Flow sensors connected to an automatic irrigation controller may also function as a landscape water meter, provided they accurately measure and record water applied to the landscape.
(b) At the time of final inspection, the permit applicant must provide the owner of the property with a certificate of completion, certificate of installation, irrigation schedule and a schedule of landscape and irrigation maintenance.
(Added by Ord. No. 10427 (N.S.), effective 5-27-16)
(a) A person may submit an application to modify the outdoor water use authorization required by this chapter on a form provided by the Director of PDS.
(b) An applicant requesting modification of an authorization where the total landscaped area after modification is greater than 500 square feet but less than 2,500 square feet shall comply with section 86.706.
(c) An applicant requesting modification of an authorization other than the type of project in subsection (b) above, shall comply with sections 86.707 - 86.711.
(d) Residential tree plantings associated with an approved Landscape Documentation Package may not be modified after the establishment period is over unless written authorization by the Director of PDS has been obtained.
(Amended by Ord. No. 10224 (N.S.), effective 10-25-12)
All projects requiring the issuance of a water use authorization that have installed approved landscaping and irrigation, shall submit to the Director of PDS a Certificate of Completion that contains the following elements:
(a) A Certificate of Completion on a form provided by the Director of PDS within 10 days after installation, verifying that the landscaping and irrigation were installed as allowed in the approved landscape and irrigation plan, that all approved soil amendments were implemented and the installed irrigation system is functioning as designed and approved. The certificate of completion shall be signed under penalty of perjury by the person to whom the water use authorization has been issued and by a California licensed, landscape architect, civil engineer or architect. Where the water use authorization has been issued to a single family homeowner who either hired a licensed landscape contractor to install the landscaping and irrigation, or installed it themselves, the certificate shall be signed under penalty of perjury by the homeowner and the contractor, or by the homeowner if installed by them. Property owners who designed and installed landscape on their own property shall also be required to sign certificates.
(b) For those single family residential projects required to comply with Section 86.709(b)(10) with an approved Landscape Documentation Package, a copy of the developer/homebuilder signed disclosure statement to be provided to each new homeowner about their obligations to design, install, and maintain their landscapes based on the water budgets established for their lot and their obligations to install and maintain two trees for carbon sequestration, as well as, their obligation to install and maintain vegetated structural BMPs or any other vegetated BMP as applicable, shall be provided.
(c) To the extent applicable, a copy of the HOA's Architectural Guidelines (or similar) indicating that all homes are required to be compliant with the Prescriptive Compliance Option guidelines established on the approved Landscape Documentation Package and instructions to homeowners to submit a landscape plan to the County if they so choose to adjust their water budget calculations.
(d) An irrigation schedule that complies with section 86.726 that describes the irrigation times and water usage for the project.
(e) A landscape and irrigation system maintenance schedule that complies with section 86.727.
(f) A soil management report that complies with section 86.708 if the applicant did not submit the report with the landscape documentation package.
(g) For new construction and modified landscape projects installed after the effective date of this ordinance, as described in Section 86.703:
(1) the project applicant shall submit an irrigation audit report with the Certificate of Completion that shall include, but is not limited to: inspection, system tune-up, system test with distribution uniformity or emission uniformity, soil moisture test/observation for drip and subsurface irrigation, reporting overspray or run-off that causes overland flow, and preparation of an irrigation schedule, including configuring irrigation controllers with application rate, soil types, plant factors, slope, exposure, and any other factors necessary for accurate programming.
(2) Photo documentation of all components of the irrigation system and evidence of planting, including residential tree plantings required by section 86.709(b)(10), per the approved Landscape Documentation Package shall be provided.
(Amended by Ord. No. 10224 (N.S.), effective 10-25-12)
The irrigation schedule required by section 86.725 shall be prepared by a California licensed, landscape architect, civil engineer, architect, landscape contractor, or property owner and provide the following information:
(a) A description of the automatic irrigation system that will be used for the project.
(1) A diagram of the irrigation plan showing hydrozones shall be kept with the irrigation controller for subsequent management purposes. A copy shall be provided with the submittal of the Certificate of Completion to verify compliance.
(b) The time period when overhead irrigation will be scheduled and confirm that overhead irrigation shall only be used during the shorter of the following two intervals: 1) between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m., or 2) any more restrictive period mandated by a public water purveyor.
(c) For implementation of the irrigation schedule, particular attention must be paid to irrigation run times, emission device, flow rate, and current reference evapotranspiration, so that applied water meets the Estimated Total Water Use. Total annual applied water shall be less than or equal to Maximum Applied Water Allowance (MAWA). Actual irrigation schedules shall be regulated by automatic irrigation controllers using current reference evapotranspiration data (e.g., CIMIS) or soil moisture sensor data.
(d) The parameters used for setting the irrigation system controller for watering times for:
(1) The plant establishment period.
(2) Established landscaping.
(3) Temporarily irrigated areas.
(4) Different seasons during the year.
(e) The parameters used for each station for the following factors:
(1) The days between irrigation.
(2) Station run time in minutes for each irrigation event, designed to avoid runoff.
(3) Number of cycle starts required for each irrigation event, designed to avoid runoff.
(4) Amount of water to be applied on a monthly basis.
(5) The root depth setting.
(6) The plant type setting.
(7) The soil type.
(8) The slope factor.
(9) The shade factor.
(10) Application rate setting.
(11) Irrigation uniformity or efficiency setting.
(a) A person using water under a water use authorization that the County issued pursuant to this chapter shall maintain the landscaping and irrigation on the property to ensure compliance with the MAWA.
(b) A property owner using water on property subject to a water use authorization shall prepare a regular maintenance schedule for the landscaping and irrigation on the project. The schedule shall provide for, but not be limited to: (1) routine inspections to guard against runoff and erosion and detect plant or irrigation system failure (2) replacement of dead, dying and diseased vegetation, (3) eradication of invasive plant species in transitional areas, (4) auditing, repairing and adjusting the irrigation system and its components when necessary, (5) replenishing mulch, topdressing with compost (6) soil amendment when necessary to support and maintain healthy plant growth, (7) fertilizing, pruning, weeding and mowing and, (8) aerating and dethatching turf areas, (9) maintenance to avoid obstruction of motorists' view, (10) ongoing maintenance of all vegetated BMP as per an approved Landscape Documentation Package. The schedule shall also identify who will be responsible for maintenance and include emergency contact information.
(c) A person who uses water pursuant to a water use authorization shall maintain the irrigation system to meet or exceed an average irrigation efficiency of 0.75.
(d) A person who replaces broken or malfunctioning irrigation system components shall replace the components with the same materials or their equivalent, or with components with greater efficiency, however, the precipitation/application rates shall remain matched on any given valve.
(e) A person who replaces vegetation shall replace it with plantings that are representative of the hydrozone in which the plants were removed and shall be typical of the water use requirements of the plants removed provided that the replaced vegetation does not result in mixing plants contrary to the requirements of this chapter. This shall also apply to vegetated structural BMPs or any other vegetated BMPs installed on the property per approved plans.
(f) A project applicant is encouraged to implement established landscape industry sustainable Best Practices for all landscape maintenance activities.
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