§ 13.56.040. Landscape documentation requirements.

An applicant proposing any new or rehabilitated landscape for a project subject to the requirements of Section 13.56.030 of this chapter shall prepare and submit to the planning director documentation including the following:

1.

Project information;

2.

A planting plan;

3.

An irrigation design plan;

4.

A soil management plan; and

5.

A grading design plan.

It is recommended that an applicant proposing any new or rehabilitated landscape that is designated for recycled water use consult with the appropriate local water purveyor early in the development review process to ensure that future recycled water facilities meet the projected demand and that the aforementioned plans when submitted comply with the applicable standards, approvals and implementation requirements of this chapter, the local water purveyor and any applicable maintenance entity.

Water systems for common open space areas shall use non-potable water if approved facilities are made available by the local water purveyor provisions for a non-potable water system shall be provided within the irrigation design plan water systems designed to utilize nonpotable water shall be designed to meet all applicable standards of the applicable regional water quality control board and the Madera County Health Department.

A.

Project Information.

1.

Date;

2.

Name of applicant and contact information;

3.

Name of project owner and contact information;

4.

Project address including parcel and lot numbers;

5.

Total landscape area in square feet;

6.

Project type (e.g. new or rehabilitated, public, commercial, or industrial);

7.

Water supply (e.g. potable, well, recycled; use of recycled water is encouraged);

8.

Applicant's signature and date with statement, "I agree to comply with the requirements of Chapter 13.56 and submit a complete landscape documentation package."

B.

Planting plan requirements.

1.

Plant types shall be grouped together in regards to their water, soil, sun and shade requirements and in relationship to the buildings. Plants with different water needs shall be irrigated separately. Plants with the following classifications shall be grouped accordingly: high and moderate, moderate and low, low and very low. Deviation from these groupings shall be not be permitted.

2.

Trees for shade shall be provided for residential, commercial and industrial buildings, parking lots and open space areas. These trees can be deciduous or evergreen and are to be incorporated to provide natural cooling opportunities for the purpose of energy and water conservation.

3.

Plants shall be placed in a manner considerate of solar orientation to maximize summer shade and winter solar gain.

4.

Plant selection for projects in high fire hazard areas shall address fire safety and prevention. A defensible space or zone around a building or structure is required pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 4291.

5.

Invasive species of plants shall be avoided especially near parks, buffers, greenbelts, water bodies, conservation areas/reserves and other open space areas because of their potential to cause harm to environmentally sensitive areas.

6.

All exposed surfaces of non-turf areas within the developed landscape area shall be mulched with a minimum three-inch layer of material, except in areas with groundcover planted from flats where mulch depth shall he one and one-half inches.

7.

Stabilizing mulching products shall be used on slopes.

8.

Turf areas shall be used in response to functional needs and in compliance with the water budget.

9.

Decorative water features shall use re-circulating water systems.

10.

Where available, recycled water shall be used as the source for irrigation and decorative water features.

11.

Planting plans shall identify and site the following:

a.

New and existing trees, shrubs, ground covers, and turf areas within the proposed landscaped area;

b.

A planting legend indicating all plant species by botanical name and common name, spacing, and quantities of each type of plant by container size;

c.

Designation of hydrozones;

d.

Area, in square feet, devoted to landscaping and a breakdown of the total area by landscape hydrozones;

e.

Property lines, streets, and street names;

f.

Building locations, driveways, sidewalks, retaining walls, and other landscape features;

g.

Appropriate scale and north arrow;

h.

Any special landscape areas;

i.

Type of mulch and application depth;

j.

Type and surface area of water features;

k.

Type and installation details of any applicable stormwater best management practices;

l.

Planting specifications and details, including the recommendations from the soils analysis, if applicable;

m.

Maximum applied water allowance (MAWA):

i.

Planting plans shall be prepared using the following water budget formula:

MAWA (in gallons) = (ETo)(0.62)[0.7 × LA+0.3 × SLA] where ETo is reference evapotranspiration SLA is the amount of special landscape area in square feet LA is total landscape area (including the SLA) in square feet; and

ii.

For the purposes of determining the MAWA, average irrigation efficiency is assumed to be 0.71. Irrigation systems shall be designed, maintained, and managed to meet or exceed an average irrigation efficiency of 0.71.

n.

Estimated annual water use (EAWU):

i.

EAWU for a given hydrozone is calculated as follows:

EAWU (in gallons) = (ETo)(0.62)[((PF × HA)/IE) + SLA] where ETo is reference evapotranspiration PF is Plant Factor HA is hydrozone area in square feet IE is irrigation efficiency (minimum 0.71) SLA is the amount of special landscape area in square feet;

ii.

Landscaping plans shall provide EAWU (in the same units as the MAWA) for each valve circuit in the irrigation hydrozone. The sum of all EAWU calculations shall not exceed the MAWA for the project;

iii.

The plant factor used shall be from WUCOLS. The plant factor for low water use plants range from 0 to 0.3, for moderate water use plants range from 0.4 to 0.6, and for high water use plants range from 0.7 to 1.0;

iv.

The plant factor calculation is based on the proportions of the respective plant water uses and their plant factor, or the factor of the higher water using plant used; and

v.

The surface area of a water feature shall be included in the high water use hydrozone area of the water budget calculation and temporarily irrigated areas in the low water use hydrozone.

12.

Planting plans and irrigation plans (Section 13.56.040(C)) shall be drawn at the same size and scale.

13.

The planting plan shall be prepared by a landscape architect licensed by the state of California the planning director shall have the ability to accept a planting plan from an individual not licensed by the state of California if he/she deems it complete and accurate.

C.

Irrigation Design Plan Requirements.

1.

Irrigation systems shall be designed, maintained, and managed to meet or exceed an average irrigation efficiency of 0.71.

2.

All irrigation systems shall be designed to prevent runoff, overspray, lowhead drainage and other similar conditions where water flows off-site on to adjacent property, non-irrigated areas, walk, roadways, or structures. Irrigation systems shall be designed, constructed, managed, and maintained to achieve as high an overall efficiency as possible. The irrigation system shall be designed to ensure that the dynamic pressure at each emission device is within the manufacturer's recommended pressure range for optimal performance.

3.

Landscaped areas shall be provided with a smart irrigation controller which automatically adjusts the frequency and/or duration of irrigation events in response to changing weather conditions unless the use of the property would otherwise prohibit use of a timer. The planting areas shall be grouped in relation to moisture control zones based on similarity of water requirements (i.e., turf separate from shrub and groundcover, full sun exposure areas separate from shade areas, top of slope separate from toe of slope). Additional water conservation technology may be required, where necessary, at the discretion of the planning director.

4.

Water systems for common open space areas shall use non-potable water, if approved facilities are made available by the water purveyor. Provisions for the conversion to a non-potable water system shall be provided within the landscape plan. Water systems designed to utilize non-potable water shall be designed to meet all applicable standards of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Riverside County Health Department.

5.

Separate valves shall be provided for separate water use planting areas, so that plants with similar water needs are irrigated by the same irrigation valve. All installations shall rely on highly efficient state of the art irrigation systems to eliminate runoff and maximize irrigation efficiency as required by the landscaping guide.

6.

Static water pressure, dynamic or operating pressure and flow reading of the water supply shall be measured. These pressure and flow measurements shall be conducted at the design stage. If the measurements are not available at the design stage, the measurements shall be conducted at the installation.

7.

The capacity of the irrigation system shall not exceed:

a.

The capacity required for peak water demand based on water budget calculations;

b.

Meter capacity; or

c.

Backflow preventer type and device capacity.

8.

Sprinkler heads and other emission devices shall have matched precipitation rates, unless otherwise directed by the manufacturer.

9.

In mulched planting areas, the use of low volume irrigation is required to maximize water infiltration into the root zone.

10.

Slopes greater than twenty-five percent shall not be irrigated with an irrigation system with a precipitation rate exceeding 0.75 inches per hour. This restriction may be modified if the landscape designer specifies an alternative design or technology, as part of the landscape documentation required to be submitted pursuant to this chapter, and if there is a clear demonstration that no runoff or erosion will occur. Prevention of runoff and erosion must be confirmed during the irrigation audit.

11.

Long-narrow, or irregularly shaped areas including turf less than eight feet in width in any direction shall be irrigated with subsurface irrigation or low-volume irrigation technology.

12.

Overhead irrigation shall not be permitted within twenty-four inches of any non-permeable surface. There are no restrictions on the irrigation system type if the landscape area is adjacent to permeable surfacing and no overspray and runoff occurs.

13.

Overhead irrigation shall be limited to the hours of eight p.m. to nine a.m.

14.

All irrigation systems shall be equipped with the following:

a.

A smart irrigation controller as defined in Section 13.56.040(C)(3) of this chapter;

b.

A rain sensing device to prevent irrigation during rainy weather;

c.

Anti-drain check valves installed at strategic points to minimize or prevent low-head drainage;

d.

A manual shut-off value shall be required as close as possible to the point of connection of the water supply, to minimize water loss in case of an emergency or routine repair;

e.

A pressure regulator when the static water pressure is above or below the recommended operating pressure of the irrigation system;

f.

Backflow prevention devices; and

g.

Riser protection components for all risers in high traffic areas.

15.

Dedicated landscape meters shall be required for all projects greater than two thousand five hundred square feet except single-family residences.

16.

Irrigation design plans shall identity and site the following:

a.

Hydrozones:

i.

Each hydrozone shall be designated by number, letter or other designation.

ii.

A hydrozone information table shall be prepared for each hydrozone;

b.

The areas irrigated by each valve;

c.

Irrigation point of connection (POC) to the water system;

d.

Static water pressure at POC;

e.

Location and size of water meter(s), service laterals, and backflow preventers;

f.

Location, size, and type of all components of the irrigation system, including automatic controllers, main and lateral lines, valves, sprinkler heads and nozzles, pressure regulator, drip and low volume irrigation equipment;

g.

Total flow rate (gallons per minute), and design operating pressure (psi) for each overhead spray and bubbler circuit, and total flow rate (gallons per hour) and psi for each drip and low volume irrigation circuit;

h.

Precipitation rate (inches per hour) for each overhead spray circuit;

i.

Irrigation legend with the manufacturer name, model number, and general description for all specified equipment, separate symbols for all irrigation equipment with different spray patterns, spray radius, and precipitation rate;

j.

Irrigation system details for assembly and installation;

k.

Recommended irrigation schedule for each month, including number of irrigation days per week, number of start times (cycles) per day, minutes of run time per cycle, and estimated amount of applied irrigation water, expressed in gallons per month and gallons per year, for the established landscape; and

l.

Irrigation design plans shall contain the following statement, "I agree to comply with the criteria of Chapter 13.56 of the Madera County Code and to apply the criteria for the efficient use of water in the irrigation design plan."

17.

For each valve, two irrigation schedules shall be prepared, one for the initial establishment period of six months and one for the established landscape, which incorporate the specific water needs of the plants and turf throughout the calendar year.

18.

Irrigation design plans and planting plans (Section 13.56.040(B)) shall be drawn at the same size and scale.

D.

Soil Management Plan Requirements.

1.

After mass grading, the project applicant shall:

a.

Perform a preliminary site inspection;

b.

Determine the appropriate level of soil sampling and sampling method needed to obtain representative soil sample(s);

c.

Conduct a soil probe test to determine if the soil in the landscape area has sufficient depth to support the intended plants; and

d.

Obtain appropriate soil sample(s).

2.

The project applicant shall submit soil sample(s) to a laboratory for analysis and recommendation. The soil analysis may include:

a.

Soil texture;

b.

Infiltration rate determined by laboratory test or soil texture infiltration rate tables;

c.

pH;

d.

Total soluble salts;

e.

Sodium; and

f.

Recommendations.

3.

The project applicant shall prepare documentation describing the following:

a.

Soil type;

b.

Identification of limiting soil characteristics;

c.

Identification of planned soil management actions to, remediate limiting soil characteristics; and

d.

Submit the soil analysis report and documentation verifying implementation of soil analysis report recommendations to the county pursuant to the requirements of Section 13.56.060(C).

E.

Grading Design Plan Requirements. The landscape documentation submitted shall also include rough/precise grade elevations prepared for the project by a licensed civil engineer. If the project is proposing to move less than fifty cubic yards of material no grading plan is required.

(Ord. No. 647, § 1, 1-5-10).