HomeMy WebLinkAbout072-88 RESOLUTION NO. 72-88
A RESOLUTION ADOPTING A DROUGHT EMERGENCY
LANDSCAPE WATER POLICY
RESOLVED, by the Town Council of the Town Of Danville,
California that:
WHEREAS, the conservation of water resources is recognized
as being of particular importance during the present water
shortage.
The following guidelines are adopted for purposes of policy
guidance in the planning of new development within the Town of
Danville and as guidance in conducting the Town's own
landscaping and maintenance activities during the drought
emergency.
New Development
All new landscaping of 10,000 square feet or more shall be
designed, developed, and maintained in accordance with the
following Recommended Landscape Practices.
The City shall inspect and approve the landscape development
to ensure compliance with the plan submitted prior to
issuing a Certificate of Occupancy.
Model Homes
1. In developments with two or more model homes, one model home
shall demonstrate a water conserving landscape:
o Turf shall be limited to 25% of the planted area.
o Non-turf areas shall use water conserving plants.
Planting, soils, irrigation, and use of other materials
shall be in accordance with the Landscape Design and
Development Practices.
(Plans may be submitted to EBMUD for review and approval.)
City Activities
All new City landscaping and landscape improvements shall be
performed in accordance with the following Recommended
Landscape Practices.
2. All irrigation shall conform to the Irrigation Management
Practices.
RECOMMENDED LANDSCAPE PRACTICES
AIfitSCAI'F I]FSIGN ANt) DEVELOPHENI
I'lant. ir!g D_e_sjg9
1, Plants sitall he selected which are best suited to tile climate of the region
and v~lich require minimal water.
~ined turf end decorative nses of water will be limited to reduce water
and evaporation. Turf limitations excluded for public parks, golf
cn, rses, cemeteries, and school grounds.
In addition to water conservation, the landscape plan will address
f,nctional es well as energy use cud environmental and aesthetic conditions
~ppcific to each Individual site'. By differentiating the site into watering
zc~r,eq, water' coo he used where it ts mo~t needed and extravagant use can be
avnhJpcl in areas where it ts little used or appreciated.
l,o fqraSS perimeters will be minire,zeal to improve irrigation efficiency.
Inn~l, ,farrow strips nf turfgrass such as t~'affic medians and between curbs
aIM sidewalks will be avoided. For ease of maintenance and reduction of
Iunnff. groundcovers other than lawns will be used on slopes exceeding 4%.
SIli I~
]. A ,,inimum of 1-2 inches of mulch should be added to tbe soil surface to
r pduce ev~tporat i on, moderate sol 1 temperatures, and di scourage weeds.
^ ~nilS test sicall be provided showing soil type, soil depth and unifon, ity
and ptl. Soils vary widely in their waterholding capacity from site to site.
Soil lype and depth, and the unifonaity of the soil profile will determine
hIlw much water should he applied, and bow much runoff is likely to occur.
~. llradlng shall be minimized to avoid soil disturbance. lopsoil shall be
qlnckpiled for back fill.
_!rrigal:).oj.,,
Spncificatfons for tile Irrigation system will include a watering schedule.
In hlgoove Irrigation efflcteoces, Irrigation schedules should be set
arco~dlng to tile plants' actual water needs. lurfgrasses should be
t~ igated a maximum of once every tbree days. lhe following schedule shows
how .,any h~ches of water turfgrass needs monthly, based upon climatic data
for area.
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Date Inches/Month Date inches/Month
Inland Costal Inland Costal
January 0 0 July 6 5
February I 1 August 5 4
March 2 1 September 3 3
April 3 2 October 2 2
May 4 3 November I 1
June 5 5 December 0 0
2. Drip, bubbler irrigation systems or low spray heads should be used for
shrubs, trees, and groundcovers.
Separate vales should be installed for turf and non-turf areas. In many
cases, mature plants require only infrequent irrigation. Separation of
valves can provide more water to shallow-rooted plants or to those in
shallow soil which need more frequent watering and less water to deep-
rooted, mature shrubs and trees. Separate vales will encourage plants to
extend deeper roots and to become less dependent on frequent watering.
4.. Sprinkler heads should have matched precipitation rates within each control
valve circuit.
Miscellaneous
Use inert material as appropriate for landscaping needs. Inert material or
pavement over a portion of the site with the remainder in drought tolerant
groundcover offers an alternative to unbroken expanses of turf. Inert
material or paving may be necessary where continual or heavy traffic occurs.
Use porous paving materials. In order to improve the percolation of
rainwater into the groundwater table, porous paving materials are preferred.
Wood decking is a very water conserving landscape treatment. It shades out
weeds, stands up under traffic, cools the soil beneath, reduces soil
moisture evaporation, and allows infiltration of rainwater into the soil and
into the groundwater table. Epoxy aggregate paving, mortarless tile pavers,
open drainage channels, and gravel or bark paving reduce the need for
supplemental irrigation, and may eliminate the need for costly subsurface
storm drainage systems.
Irrigation Management
1. Water should be applied so that it soaks into the soil slowly.
The application rate should neither exceed .25" per cycle nor .75" per hour.
Avoid runoff by discontinuing the application of water as soon as it occurs.
Watering in stages will allow water to soak in between applications, thus
improving the efficiency of water use.
3. Electric controllers should be set to water between 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m.
Nighttime and early morning irrigation will reduce evaporation losses.
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PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 7th
1988, by the following vote:
AYES: Greenberg, Jagger, Lane, Ritchey,
NOES: None
ABSTAIN: None
ABSENT: None
day of June
Schlendorf
ATTEST:
Ci Clerk