75C - PH - AMEND ZONING WATER EFFICIENT LANDSCAPE

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Zoning Ordinance Amendment 2015 -04 December 14, 2015 Page 2 With the drought conditions at emergency levels, in April 2015 Governor Brown signed an Executive Order (EO B- 29 -15) to further water conservation ordinance. Two key components of the Executive Order included: 1) The Department of Water Resources (DWR) to update the original Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) of 2009; and 2) cities and counties to update their local Landscape Ordinances, so they are "at least as effective as" DWR's updated Model Ordinance. In response to this mandate, a stakeholder group was formed under the leadership of the Municipal Water District ( MWDOC) of Orange County earlier this year. The Orange County Model Ordinance and Guidelines were completed in October 2015 and has been reviewed by City staff as well as the City Attorney, The guiding principles of the County Model are local control, consistency among Orange County cities, and promoting the values and benefits of landscapes while recognizing the need for efficient use of water. The County MWELO upholds the "at least as effective" threshold in relation to the State MWELO. The proposed zoning code amendment incorporates the criteria and guidelines of the 'regional" MWDOC model ordinance as highlighted below: • New residential, commercial, industrial and public development projects that include landscape areas of 500 square feet or more would be subject to the ordinance. The previous landscape size threshold for new development projects was 2,500 square feet, • The size threshold for existing landscapes that are being rehabilitated remains at 2,500 square feet. • The ordinance applies to landscape projects that require a permit, plan check or development review. • Dedicated landscape water meters or submeters are required for residential landscapes over 5,000 square feet and nonresidential landscapes over 1,000 square feet. • High efficiency irrigation systems must meet the national standard contained in the state ordinance. • Landscape areas, including public medians, less than 10 feet wide must be irrigated with drip irrigation. • A Prescriptive Compliance Option is added as incentive for graywater usage and for landscapes less than 2,500 square feet. This option provides for a simplified landscape plan submittal. • Best management practices to improve soil and maximize water retention and infiltration onsite. • The maximum amount of water that can be applied on a landscape is reduced, which would effectively reduce the amount of turf to approximately 25 percent of the residential landscape areas for a commercial lot, turf would not be feasible. Special function areas, such as active recreational landscapes and edible gardens, are to be given an increased water allowance. 75C -4