reclamation . . .

You may have noticed that water conservation has become a hot topic of late. This is not a fad, and is something that is definitely here to stay with us for the long term. With water districts limiting allocations to customers and local governments declaring drought alerts and being required to enforce more restrictive state mandates, it’s clear that governing agencies mean business. But don’t panic – there is good news for our clients! For us at Nowell & Associates water conservation is nothing new. There seem to be a lot of newly minted water conservation “experts” cropping up these days – but creatively designing landscapes and irrigation systems in ways that require less water, maintenance, and that save our clients money is what we have been doing for the last 15 years! We view water conservation as an opportunity to make good design decisions that benefit our clients in both the long and short terms.

We are fully aware of the requirements and impact of State Assembly Bill 1881, as well as the City of San Diego’s Level 2 drought alert and the recent changes to their Land Development Code and what these mean to our clients. Please contact us to find out how we can help you!

For our clients existing projects these restrictions may result in difficulty providing sufficient water to specific planted areas within the allowed timeframes. Nowell & Associates can help by evaluating problematic areas and working with our client and their landscape maintenance contractor to develop solutions that may include adjustments to plant species or irrigation system modifications to ensure a healthy landscape.

For new projects, Nowell & Associates will continue to select and group plant species based on their water use requirements. In addition to this, we will continue to provide our clients with the most up to date water-efficient irrigation system design that relies on ET (evapotranspiration) based controller technology that monitors actual on-site conditions to accurately provide the appropriate amount of water for specific plant types. We will continue to utilize the most efficient systems for delivering water to plant material including sub-surface drip irrigation. This methodology ensures that our client’s landscapes and irrigation systems are designed to meet not only to the current Level 2 restrictions, but also to withstand potential future restrictions. Over the long term this ensures that our clients have healthy landscapes that perform at the highest levels while conserving water and reducing maintenance costs.

State of California Assembly Bill 1881

Assembly Bill 1881 applies to all projects requiring permits, plan checks, design reviews and approvals including public and private development projects and existing properties with landscape areas one acre or greater. Local agencies must adopt the updated model ordinance (or their own equally effective ordinance) by January 1, 2010.

The most significant requirements of the ordinance are:

– Water budget calculations must now use 70% rather than 80% (which was required by the previous water conservation bill) of the maximum water (MAWA) demand goal based on evapotranspiration.

– No overhead spray irrigation is allowed within 24” of a paved (non-permeable surface).

– Planting and irrigation must be done using hydrozones that are based upon plant materials water use requirements (WUCOLS plant factors).

– Slopes greater than 25% must be irrigated by methods with precipitation rates less than .75 in/hour. This eliminates the use overhead spray heads in these areas.

– Turf is not allowed on sloped areas with a slope greater than 25%.

– All areas less than 8 feet in width (including turf) must be irrigated with sub-surface methods.

– Other requirements for certificate of completion include soils analysis, an irrigation audit, irrigation scheduling parameters and landscape and irrigation maintenance schedules.

City of San Diego Level 2 Drought Alert Restrictions

Recently the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) imposed a water “allocation” on their customers (including the City of San Diego). The SDCWA’s allocation for the City of San Diego reflects an 8% reduction from current levels. Overuse beyond its allocated amount will result in penalties imposed on The City between 2x and 4x the current rates. As a result of this allocation reduction and potential overuse penalties, the City of San Diego has implemented restrictions on water use through an imposed Level 2 Drought Alert. In addition to these Level 2 restrictions, the previous Level 1 voluntary restrictions are now mandatory. While information about this is available on the City’s website (click here), we decided that to better understand the specifics of how these new restrictions are affecting our clients and their landscapes, we needed additional details. So on June 11th, we met with Alex Ruiz, Assistant Director at the City of San Diego Water Department to gain further clarification. Below are the key points from the Level 2 ordinance that we believe may affect you along with the additional clarifications we received from Mr. Ruiz:

Landscape Irrigation

– Irrigation systems using recycled water are EXEMPT from these restrictions.

– Residential and commercial landscapes may only be irrigated between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m.

– Landscape irrigation is limited to no more than 3 days per week in the months April through October. It is limited to one day per week in the months November through March. Odd numbered addresses can water Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday while even numbered addresses may water on Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday.

– Spray irrigation systems are to run for a maximum 10 minute cycle on the assigned day. This restriction does not apply to rotor or drip irrigation systems.

– It is possible to apply for a variance from certain restrictions due to hardship. In order to do this the applicant must note the specific restriction from which they would like a variance. The applicant must also provide a specific reason as to why they are unable to comply with the restriction and support this reason with historical data. The Water Department will review the variance application and rule within 30 days.

Power Washing

– Washing down of hardscape, sidewalks, driveways and other paved areas is allowed so long as a water efficient device (such as a powerwasher) with a shut-off valve at the nozzle is used. The use of a free-running hose in not permitted.

Fountains

– Operation of fountains that discharge a jet of water into the air is not allowed except for maintenance purposes.

– Operation of cascading fountains that spill water over an edge (such as a over a weir, down a facade or from a bowl) is allowed.

In situations where an existing fountain discharges water into the air and must be shut down according to the restrictions, Nowell & Associates can help by developing creative alternatives that modify the fountain display and allow it to remain an asset to the project.

The City of San Diego Water Department’s current goal is to reduce water consumption by 8%. These current Level 2 restrictions are intended to meet this goal. However, if this goal is not reached, the current restrictions may be re-evaluated and further measures may be taken. For example, if a consumer demand reduction of 40% is required a Level 3 Drought Critical Condition is triggered. At a Level 3 Condition landscape irrigation is reduced to two assigned days per week June through October, and one assigned day November through May. In addition the filling of ornamental ponds and lakes is prohibited, except where required to sustain life. Another significant restriction at this level is that no new potable water service will be provided by The City. Additional further action may include adjustments to water pricing structures.