RES-10413 Amending Orange City Landscape Standards & SpecificationsRESOLUTION NO. 10413
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF ORANGE AMENDING CITY OF ORANGE
LANDSCAPE STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS.
WHEREAS, the State legislature has found that the waters of the State are of limited
supply and subject to ever increasing demands; and
WHEREAS, the continuation of California's economic prosperity is dependent on
the availability of adequate supplies of water for future uses; and
WHEREAS, it is the policy of the State to promote the conservation and efficient use
of water to prevent the waste of this valuable resource; and
WHEREAS, landscape design, installation, maintenance, and management can and
should be water efficient; and
WHEREAS, Article X, Section 2 of the California Constitution specifies that "waste
or unreasonable use...of water be prevented" and that "the right to water...is.. limited to such
as shall be reasonably required for the beneficial use to be served" and "such right does not
and shall not extend to the waste or unreasonable use of water"; and
WHEREAS, Orange County has established a large reclaimed water infrastructure
system; and
WHEREAS, allocation-based and tiered water rate structures allow public
agencies to document water use in landscapes;
and WHEREAS, incentive-based water use efficiency programs have
been actively implemented within Orange County since before
1991; and WHEREAS, current local design practices in new landscapes typically
achieve the State Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance water use
goals; and WHEREAS, all water services within the City are
metered; and WHEREAS, Orange County is a leader in researching and promoting the
use of smart automatic irrigation controllers with morethan 4,500 installations as of June
2009; and WHEREAS, all new irrigation controllers sold after 2012 within Orange
County will be smart
controllers; and WHEREAS, landscape plan submittal and review has been a long
standing practice in the
City; and WHEREAS, the average rainfall in Orange County is approximately 12
inches per
WHEREAS, the City, as the local water purveyor, has already enacted water waste
prohibitions for all existing metered landscaped areas within its jurisdiction; and
WHEREAS, consistent with these findings, the purpose of the City's Water Efficient
Landscape Section of the City's Landscape Standards and Specifications is to establish an
alternative to the State Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance that is acceptable under
AB 1881 as being at least as effective as the State Model in the context of conditions in the
City in order to:
Promote the benefits of consistent landscape ordinances with neighboring local
and regional agencies.
Promote the values and benefits of landscapes while recognizing the need to
invest water and other resources efficiently.
Establish a structure for planning, designing, installing, maintaining and
managing water efficient landscapes in new construction and rehabilitation
projects. ~-.Establish
provisions for water management practices and water waste prevention for
existing landscapes.Use
water efficiently by setting a Maximum Applied Water Allowance as an upper
limit for water use and reduce water use to the lowest practical amount.Encourage
the use of economic incentives to promote the efficient use of water,such
as implementing abudget-based tiered rate structure.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of
Orange, on the basis of the facts set forth in the agenda report presented to it and any
testimony received at the meeting at which this matter was considered, as follows:
1. That the City Council finds and determines that the foregoing recitals are true and
correct.
2. That the existing City of Orange Landscape Standards and Specifications are hereby
repealed in their entirety and replaced by City of Orange Landscape Standards and
Specifications, attached hereto as Exhibit A, which modifies the existing regulations
and adds a new Section IX, entitled "Water Efficient Landscapes," and Sub Section
IX.1, "Guidelines for Implementation."
3. That this amendment to the Landscape Standards and Specifications is exempt from
review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (California Public
Resources Code Section 21000 et sec ..), because pursuant to State CEQA Regulation
15307 (14 Cal. Code Reg. § 15307), this amendment is covered by the CEQA
Categorical Exemption for actions taken to assure the maintenance, restoration,
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enhancement, or protection of a natural resource where the regulatory process
involves procedures for protection of the environment. The adoption of this
amendment will result in the enhancement and protection of water resources in the
City, and will not result in cumulative adverse environment impacts. It is therefore
exempt from the provisions of CEQA. The City Council hereby directs the City
Manager or designee to prepare and file a Notice of Exemption as soon as possible
following adoption of this Resolution revising the Landscape Standards and
Specifications.
ADOPTED this 8`" day of December, 2009.
lyn V~C~vec~ie, Mayor, City of Orange
ATTEST:
Mary E ,City Clerk, City nge
I, MARY E. MURPHY, City Clerk of the City of Orange, California, do hereby
certify that the foregoing Resolution was duly and regularly adopted by the City Council of
the City of Orange at a regular meeting thereof held on the St" day of December, 2009, by the
following vote:
AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Smith, Murphy, Cavecche, Dumitru, Bilodeau
NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: None
ABSTAIN: COUNCILMEMBERS: None
Mary E y City Clerk, City range
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