California Code of Regulations › Title 23 - Waters › Division 2 - Department of Water Resources › Chapter 2.7 - Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance › Appendix D - Prescriptive Compliance Option

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 28, July 12, 2024
(a) This appendix contains prescriptive requirements which
				  may be used as a compliance option to the Model Water Efficient Landscape
				  Ordinance.
(b) Compliance with the following items is mandatory and must
				  be documented on a landscape plan in order to use the prescriptive compliance
				  option:
(1) Submit a Landscape Documentation Package 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, rehabilitated, public, private,
				  cemetery, homeowner-installed)
(F) water supply type (e.g., potable, recycled, well) 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 to the
				  MWELO".
(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);
(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% 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% of the plant area excluding edibles and areas using recycled water;
(B) A minimum three inch (3") 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.
(4) Turf shall comply with all of the following:
(A) Turf shall not exceed 25% 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 ten (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 sq. ft. or more, a private submeter(s) to measure landscape water use
				  shall be installed.
(c) 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.
1. New
				  Appendix D filed 9-15-2015; operative 9-15-2015. Exempt from OAL review and
				  submitted to OAL for printing only pursuant to Governor's Executive Order No.
				  B-29-15 (4-1-2015) (Register 2015, No. 38).