By Khalida Sarwari
Saratoga planning commissioners are set to consider a proposed water-efficient landscape ordinance next month that takes into account recent changes in the state’s model ordinance.
Prompted by the impact of the drought on California’s water supplies, the state’s revised ordinance calls for a reduction in the maximum water allowance for new landscapes by about 30 percent for residential uses and 35 percent for other uses. The changes apply to new landscape areas of at least 500 square feet and retrofitted landscape areas of at least 2,500 square feet.
What this means for cities such as Saratoga that tend to have larger lots is that property owners who undertake any kind of landscape work must demonstrate that their project is water efficient, or alternatively, likely incur additional costs by procuring an architect or landscape designer that can design a landscape plan that meets the state’s water usage requirements. The regulations are applicable only to projects that require a permit or design review approval from the city, said Saratoga community development director Erwin Ordonez.
“The state is telling local communities you had a threshold, we’re going to reduce that to one-fifth of the previous requirement,” said Ordonez. “It’s now going to impact and affect more residents.”
Another component of the state ordinance is that it encourages the implementation of greywater usage and onsite stormwater capture to offset water usage, Ordonez said.
Cities are given the option of adopting the state ordinance approved in September, a regional measure or their own ordinance, which would need to be just as effective at conserving water.
“Because Saratoga already had its own ordinance, it made sense for us to look at that ordinance and make changes to that ordinance and have council approve that ordinance,” said Ordonez.
The planning commission is slated to review the city’s draft water efficient landscape ordinance on Dec. 9, although the deadline by which cities must adopt either its own or the state’s directive is Dec. 1. Should a city fail to do so, the state ordinance will go into effect until the local plan is adopted. In Saratoga’s case, it appears that will happen by the end of February, according to Ordonez.
“The plan is to adopt it as soon as we can,” he said.
Link: Saratoga to consider a water-efficient landscape ordinance
