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Home My WebLink About076 - 06/07/1994 - AMENDING CITY CODE FOR THE PURPOSE OF IMPLEMENTING PORTIONS OF THE CITYS WATER DEMAND MANAGEMENT POL ORDINANCE NO. 76, 1994 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS AMENDING CHAPTER 29 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY FOR THE PURPOSE OF IMPLEMENTING PORTIONS OF THE CITY'S WATER DEMAND MANAGEMENT POLICY WHEREAS, the water demand management policy, as adopted by Resolution 92- 63, directed staff to "amend the residential and non-residential Point Charts within the Land Development Guidance System to include water-conserving actions in the awarding of points"; and WHEREAS, City staff, the Natural Resources Advisory Board and the Water Planning Committee have recommended that the implementation of this action be strengthened by the imposition of mandatory requirements, rather than optional guidelines; and WHEREAS, City staff, the Natural Resources Advisory Board and the Water Planning Committee have recommended that the implementation of this action be broadened to include both planned unit developments and standard subdivisions; and WHEREAS, the Water Demand Management Resolution 92-63 directed staff to "develop minimum water conservation standards for irrigation systems associated with landscape plans for all development which is subject to City review and approval " ; and WHEREAS, for the past 12 months, City staff and two committees composed of local landscaping and irrigation professionals have developed the standards included herein; and WHEREAS, the Natural Resources Advisory Board, the Water Board, the Water Planning Committee and the Planning and Zoning Board have recommended the approval of this Ordinance. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS that Chapter 29 of the Code of the City shall be amended as follows: Section 1 . That Section 29-526(D) (2) of the Code of the City of Fort Collins is hereby amended by the addition of a new Community-wide Criteria Chart to be numbered A-1. 11, to read as follows: CHART A-1. COMMUNITY-WIDE CRITERIA A-l.11 Water-conserving Landscape and Irrigation Is the landscape plan designed for the conservation of water? Does the landscape plan contain a general note calling for the review and approval by the Water Utility Director of any required irrigation system for the landscape? (This criteria shall not apply to individual lots for single- family dwellings.) PURPOSE 3. Steep grades shall be minimized. Where steep grades are necessary, The purpose of this section is to foster the the landscape shall be designed to conservation of water used for the irrigation of all minimize water runoff and to take landscaped areas except for the landscaping on single- advantage of the water that does family dwelling lots. This purpose is accomplished run off. by ensuring that these landscapes and their associated irrigation systems are designed and installed in a 4. Where south-facing berms of 25% water-conserving manner, without sacrificing slope or greater exist, the plants attractiveness. This criterion is structured to create used should be lower water- two separate review processes. First, specific requiring species. landscape design guidelines are included for development approval review. Second, specific 5. Narrow landscaped strips(less than irrigation design guidelines are included for 8' wide) shall be minimized. subsequent review by the Water Utility Director prior Where necessary, such as between to the issuance of the first building permit, or if no sidewalk and street, they should be building permit is required, prior to commencement planted with lower water-requiring of construction. plant species. LANDSCAPE DESIGN GUIDELINES (FOR B. Use of Mulches DEVELOPMENT APPROVAL REVIEW) 1. Mulches shall be used for planting A. Plants and Design beds. The mulch can be either organic or inorganic, and shall be 1. To the extent practical, plants with applied to a minimum depth of 3 similar water requirements shall be inches. In order to prevent large grouped together on the same expanses of barren mulch, there irrigation zones. shall be a minimum plant cover of 50 percent within 5 years of 2. The landscape shall be designed planting. with efficient irrigation layout in mind. For example, the dimensions of turfgrass areas should be in multiples of the radius of throw of the specified sprinklers, and the geometry should be such that overspray is minimized. 2 C. Natural Area Preservation S. Different types of irrigation equipment (drip, micro-spray, 1. If there are portions of the site that spray, rotary, etc.) shall not be are worthy of preservation as combined on the same zone. As an natural areas, the alternative of exception, drip and micro-spray leaving them undisturbed or with equipment are permissible on the only slight improvements should be same zone. considered. The worthiness of such sites as natural areas shall be 6. As much as practical, the irrigation determined by the Director of the method shall be selected to City's Natural Resources correlate with the plant density; for Department. example, drip irrigation or bubblers should be used for sparsely-planted IRRIGATION DESIGN GUIDELINES (FOR trees and shrubs; and sprinklers REVIEW BY THE WATER UTILITY DIRECTOR) should be used for turfgrass. A. Irrigation methods and layout 7. The type of sprinkler and associated nozzles should be 1. Where untreated ("raw") water is selected to correlate with the available from a nearby irrigation size and geometry of the zone ditch or lake, it should be being irrigated;for example pop-up considered as a possible water spray sprinklers should be used for source. smaller and more "chopped up" areas. As a rule of thumb, 2. As much as practical, plants with sprinklers should be spaced no dissimilar water requirements shall closer than 75 percent of the not be irrigated on the same zone. maximum radius of throw for the For example, turfgrass areas should given sprinkler and nozzle. be on separate zones from planting beds. B. Equipment selection 3. On steep grades, an irrigation 1. A master valve should be installed method with a lower precipitation on all irrigation systems with a tap rate shall be used, in order to size of 2 inches or larger. minimize runoff. Additionally, these areas shall be zoned 2. For irrigation systems that are on a separately, if practical. combined-use tap, with a water meter installed further upstream to 4. Areas with significantly different measure total water use, the solar exposures shall be zoned installation of an irrigation-only separately, when practical. "sub-meter" should be considered. This sub-meter would enable the owner and landscape maintenance contractor to more easily determine water use for irrigation, and would not be used for billing purposes. The cost of installation and maintenance of the sub-meter shall be borne by the owner of the property, and not by the City. All such sub-meters shall be installed in accordance with the specifications 3 established by the City Water d. Check valves shall be used Utility. on all low-lying sprinklers with 3 feet or more of 3. The irrigation controller shall have lateral pipe "head" against a minimum of the following them, and on all sprinklers capabilities/features: along sidewalks. a. multiple program b. percent watering 5. A pressure reducing valve shall be C. multiple starts/day installed on the mainline, or as a d. a large enough number of feature of the remote control stations to operate one valves, if it is anticipated that the control valve per station operating pressure at any sprinkler, minus the maximum recommended 4. Sprinklers and nozzles pressure for that particular a. Spray sprinklers in turf sprinkler, is equal to 10 psi or areas shall have a more. minimum 3-1/2 inch pop- up riser height. 6. A rain sensor shall be installed with b. The coverage arcs and each irrigation system, in order to radius of throw shall be interrupt irrigation in the event of a selected and adjusted to significant rainfall. water only vegetated areas and minimize overspray 7. Low-flow irrigation onto hard-surfaces, a. When drip irrigation is buildings, fences, etc. used, emitter discharges C. All sprinklers, bubblers, within any single zone or emitters on a zone shall shall not vary by more be produced by the same than 5 percent. If m a n u f a c t u r e r . necessary because of long Additionally, all spray runs and/or elevation sprinklers on a zone shall changes, pressure- have matched precipitation compensating emitters nozzles, and the nozzles shall be used. for all rotary sprinklers on a zone shall be selected to 8. Remote control valves shall have approximate a uniform flow control stems. precipitation rate. C. Sprinkler spacing Note: For both cases below, the radius of throw is defined as the value shown in the manufacturer's specifications for the specific, design, sprinkler operating pressure. 4 1. With a square pattern layout, 4. The maximum velocities shall be sprinklers shall be spaced no less than or equal to 5.0 feet per further apart than 1.0 times the second for mainline pipe and less manufacturer's published radius of than or equal to 7.5 feet per second throw. for lateral pipe. 2. With a triangular spacing layout, S. The lateral pipe shall be sized such sprinklers shall be spaced no that there is less than or equal to a further apart than 1.1 times the 10 percent variation between the manufacturer's published radius of highest and lowest sprinkler throw. operating pressures on a zone. D. Hydraulic considerations 1. Where Kentucky bluegrass and/or perennial ryegrass is used for turfgrass, the tap size shall be sufficiently sized to deliver 0.25 inches of irrigation water over the turfgrass area within an 8 hour period. Where turf-type tall fescue is used, the tap size shall be sufficiently sized to deliver 0.20 inches of irrigation water over the turfgrass area within an 8 hour period. For special circumstances, the Water Utility Director may allow exceptions to this standard. 2. The maximum system discharge shall be less than or equal to the maximum allowable, relative to the meter size, as determined by the City Water Utility. This shall be as follows: 5/8" - 10 gpm, 1" - 25 gpm, 1-1/2" - 50 gpm, 2" - 80 gpm. 3. The irrigation system shall be designed such that the point-of- connection design pressure, minus the "worst case" system pressure losses, is greater than or equal to the design sprinkler operating pressure. 5 Section 2. That Section 29-526(G) (4) (c) [1] of the Code of the City of Fort Collins is hereby amended by amending subparagraph [f] thereof and by the addition of a new subparagraph [i] to read as follows: 1111f] Location of water outlets. If areas of planting are extensive, the installation of an underground irrigation system will be required. [i] The total area (in square feet) for each landscape category. Landscape categories shall be distinguished by their water requirements and intended maintenance level . Examples of possible categories include, but are not limited to, high water turfgrass, low water turfgrass, low water planting beds, moderate water planting beds, and non-plant areas (paved areas, etc.) . Section 3. That Section 29-526(G) of the Code of the City of Fort Collins is hereby amended at the opening paragraph of said Section (G) and by the addition of a new subsection (4) (d) , with the current subsection (d) and subsequent subsections relettered and renumbered accordingly, to read as follows: G. Content of Development Submittals Except as otherwise specifically proOded hereunder, for each stage of the review- process_,- the following 'informationand data shall be submitted unless the Planning Director determines that the information is unnecessary for the proper evaluation of the development. (4)(d) Final irrigation plan. [1] If areas of planting are extensive, the installation of an underground irrigation system shall be required and a final irrigation plan shall be submitted to and approved by the Water Utility Director prior to the issuance of the first building permit, or if no building permit is required, prior to the commencement of construction. If the water requirements of the plant material are low enough to be met with natural precipitation, and if a means of temporary irrigation is available to establish the plant material , the Water Utility Director may waive the requirement for an underground irrigation system. When required, the irrigation plan shall be accurate and clear, drawn to the same scale as the associated landscape plan, and include the following: 6 [a] the square footage of irrigation zones, lateral precipitation rates (inches/hour) , and seasonal water use and cost. The seasonal water use data shall reflect the water requirements of the plants identified in the landscape plan associated with the irrigation plan. The irrigation plan shall reference the specific landscape plan, with its date and the designer's name. [b] point-of-connection design pressure and the peak flow. [c] details of the installation methods for bubblers or drip emitters, when the irrigation design includes these components. It must also include the number and discharge rate of emitters or bubblers per type of plant material . [d] a general note that specifies the design criteria, to assist the installer with field adjustments. The criteria shall include the sprinkler and nozzle specifications, the maximum distance between sprinklers, and the maximum discharge per zone. This general note shall also inform the installer that any field adjustment or re-design of the system must conform to the specified design criteria. [e] a general note requiring the contractor installing the system to provide the owner with "as-built drawings", after the completion of the installation. [2] No Certificate of Occupancy shall be issued for any building on any portion of a planned unit development until the irrigation_ system regLLirPA by the- final_ irrigation plan is in place or a bond, cash deposit, or equivalent, is deposited with the city conditioned on and guaranteeing the installation of the entire irrigation system shown on the approved irrigation plan. Such bond, cash deposit, or equivalent, shall be in the amount of one hundred twenty-five (125) percent of the estimated cost of the irrigation system determined by an executed contract to install such irrigation system or by adequate appraisals of such cost. Any bond, cash deposit, or equivalent, deposited pursuant to this requirement shall be released upon certification by the City that the required irrigation system has been completed in accordance with the requirements of the bond. 7 Section 4. That Section 29-492 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins is hereby amended by the addition of a new subparagraph (8) to read as follows: Sec. 29-492. General requirements. (8) Landscape Irrigation. No certificate of occupancy shall be issued for any building on any portion of a property required by this Chapter to have an irrigation system, unless the entire irrigation system has been installed in accordance with an approved irrigation plan for such property. In the event that such irrigation system installation has not been completed, a certificate of occupancy may be issued upon the receipt by the city of a bond, cash deposit, or equivalent, conditioned on and guaranteeing the installation of the entire irrigation system shown on the approved irrigation plan. Such bond, cash deposit, or equivalent, shall be in the amount of one hundred twenty-five (125) percent of the estimated cost of the irrigation system determined by an executed contract to install such irrigation system or by adequate appraisals of such cost. Any bond, cash deposit, or equivalent, deposited pursuant to this requirement shall be released upon certification by the City that the required irrigation system has been completed in accordance with the requirements of the bond. Section 5. That Article III, Division 4, of Chapter 29 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins is amended to add a new Subdivision H to read as follows: Subd,'.v,ion H. Water—conserving Landscapes and Irrigation Sec. 29-523. Landscape Requirements. All landscaping required by this Chapter shall comply with Criterion 1 . 11 of 29-526(d) , Activity A, "All Development Criteria. " Sec. 29-524. Irrigation Requirements. (a) If the planting areas in the landscaping required by this Chapter are extensive, the installation of an underground irrigation system shall be required, and a final irrigation plan shall be submitted to and approved by the Water Utility Director prior to the issuance of the first building permit, or if no building permit is required, prior to the commencement of construction. The final irrigation plan shall be submitted in accordance with 29- 526(g) (4) (d) . If the water requirements of the plant material are low enough to be met with natural precipitation, and if a means of temporary irrigation is available to establish the plant material , the Water Utility Director may waive the requirement for an underground irrigation system. 8 (b) The irrigation system shall comply with Criterion 1.11 of 29-526(d) , Activity A, "All Development Criteria. " Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published in summary form this 17th day of May, A.D. 1994, and e?presented for final passage on the 7th day of June, A.D. 1994. <Xtirsc�c_. Mayor ATTEST: e City Clerk ' Passed and adopted on final reading this 7th day of June, A.D. 1994. ayor ATTEST: ((�� ) o��s_ 1�ej�p� City Clerk U 9