A. New Construction – Residential. All interior plumbing in new construction, consisting of one-to-four units, attached or detached, shall meet the following requirements:
1. All toilets shall be WaterSense labeled.
2. All hot water fixtures shall be WaterSense labeled.
3. Hot water pipe insulation. Insulation for hot-water pipe with a minimum thermal resistance (R-value) of R-4 shall be applied to the following:
a. Piping larger than 3/8-inch nominal diameter.
b. Piping located outside the conditioned space.
c. Piping located under a floor slab.
d. Buried piping.
e. Supply and return piping in recirculation systems including branches to each fixture.
4. The installation of a pressure-reducing valve on the house side of the water meter, in an easily accessible location, shall be required for all new single-family residences (preferred location is in the garage or other non-in-ground location). The static service pressure shall be set no higher than 60 pounds per square inch (psi), regardless of input pressure.
5. The following shall apply to all hot water distribution systems:
a. Plan sets shall clearly demonstrate that the water usage limit specified herein is met for all hot-water fixtures except tubs and garden tubs.
b. Nominal 3/8-inch line is required for all faucet and lavatory fixtures.
c. One of the following systems is required:
(1) Whole-house manifold.
(a) The system shall be designed such that less than 0.38 gallons (6 cups) of water are in the piping between the manifold and any hot water fixture.
(2) Demand-Controlled (On-Demand) Hot Water Recirculating systems.
(a) The system shall be designed such that less than 0.13 gallons (2 cups) of water are in the piping between the hot water circulation loop after being primed, and any hot water fixture.
(b) Pump activation switches shall be permanently mounted on walls in all bathrooms and the kitchen. Remote switches may be used in addition to the permanent switches.
(c) A dedicated return line shall be used with a minimal line size of nominal 3/4-inch diameter.
(3) Either system, whole house manifold or trunk/branch/demand-initiated pump systems, must deliver hot water to any fixture within 0.6 gallons (9.6 cups). No other systems are permitted without the prior written approval of the Director.
(4) Alternative systems may be considered and approved by the Director and permitted in lieu of the use of a manifold or demand-controlled (on-demand) system. These systems may include, but are not limited to:
(a) Point-of-use water heaters. Must be located at all bathrooms and at the kitchen. Back-to-back systems sharing one heater shall be considered.
(b) Core Plumbing Systems that minimize pipe volume between the hot water source and any hot water fixture to 0.38 gallons (6 cups) or less.
(c) Systems that utilize a single-trunk recirculation system with a single length of nominal 3/4-inch piping running from the top of the water heater to each fixture in turn and back to the bottom of the water heater. Such systems shall use an on-demand pump meeting the requirements of item 2 above.
(d) New technology that improves upon any of the above, as determined by the Director.
6. Should the homebuilder install a clothes washer, the clothes washer must be Energy Star qualified and be rated as having less than or equal to the lowest current Energy Star Water factor.
7. New single-family construction shall not offer evaporative coolers as the only source of cooling. Maximum rate of unit cannot exceed 3.5 gallons of water per ton-hour of cooling.
8. Water softeners, if installed, must meet NSF/ANSI 44 (including the voluntary efficiency standards in Section 7).
9. Drinking water treatment systems, if installed, shall meet NSF/ANSI (such systems shall yield at least 85 gallons of treated water per 100 gallons processed).
B. New Construction – Commercial, Industrial, Multi-Family, and Public Development
1. Waterless urinals shall be installed in all new public, commercial, multi-family residential common use, and industrial buildings where urinals are used. All applicable plumbing codes shall apply.
2. Existing public, commercial, multi-family residential common-use, and industrial building restroom remodels or retrofits shall convert existing urinals to waterless urinals.
3. All new commercial car wash facilities, including automobile dealerships, shall use water recycling systems which recycle a minimum of 75 percent of the water used. This requirement does not apply to small operation auto detailers or similar uses.
4. No automatic toilet flushing fixtures without sensors shall be allowed in new or retrofit construction.
5. Kitchens in which dishwashers are installed must use Energy Star rated dishwashers.
6. All facilities installing clothes washers are required to install Energy Star qualified commercial clothes washers rated equal to or below the lowest current Energy Star Water factor.
7. The use of air-cooling misters is prohibited in commercial and industrial developments.
8. All new multi-family development exceeding four units shall provide independent- unit metering (water meter for each dwelling unit), with the following exceptions:
a. Multi-family complexes providing 80 percent or more low- to moderate-income housing units, as defined by the federal office of Housing and Urban Development, may provide alternative water-saving design methods in lieu of the use of independent-unit metering. The burden of proof is on the applicant to show that an equivalent, or greater, water savings will be achieved.
b. Alternative water-saving methods to include, but not be limited to the following, may be considered by the Director and permitted in lieu of the use of independent-unit metering:
(1) Super insulation.
(2) Short hot-water line run distances (core plumbing systems).
(3) Ratio Utility Billing Systems (R.U.B.S. – as allowed under applicable state law).
C. Existing Buildings. In existing buildings or premises in which plumbing installations are to be replaced, such replacement shall comply with all code requirements for water- saving devices.
(Ord. 946 passed 3-10-94; Am. Ord. 1100, passed 10-28-99; Am. Ord. 1114, passed 6-8-00; Am. Ord. 1140, passed 4-25-02; Am. Ord. 2007-010, passed 6-14-07; Am. Ord. 2010-019, passed 12-9-10; Am. Ord. 2013-001, passed 1-24-13)