The Washington County Water Conservancy District (WCWCD) has a proposed water conservation ordinance for new construction. Santa Clara recently passed a modified version of it. At our last City Council meeting, the Mayor gave me notes from St George on changes they are considering.
I’ve compared all three and made recommendations in a 9-page memo discussing 58 potential changes. More than half the changes are minor, but the rest need a lot of thoughtful discussion. Please contact me if you want a copy of the memo. I would appreciate your ideas on all the changes, or whichever ones grab your attention.
- Download: WCWCD proposed ordinance
- Download: Comparisons and recommendations
Some of the major issues include grass, pools, water features, types of plants, quantity of trees, and landscaping. But right now, let’s look at just one issue: single-family grass. Keep in mind that this applies only to new construction.
WCWCD Proposal
WCWCD’s proposed ordinance states that the total grass area shall not exceed 750 sq.ft. for lots up to 6,000 sq.ft.; 1,000 sq.ft. for lots up to 12,000 sq.ft.; 1,250 sq.ft. for lots up to 18,000 sq.ft.; 1,500 sq.ft. for lots up to 24,000 sq.ft. and lots over 24,000 sq.ft. are limited to no more than 2,000 sq.ft. of grass.
Santa Clara Ordinance
Santa Clara had a different approach. Their ordinance states: “The total irrigated landscape area must not exceed sixteen percent (16%) of the lot square footage. Lawn area must not exceed eight percent (8%) of the lot square footage, up to a maximum of two thousand five hundred (2,500) square feet of lawn area.”
St George Discussion
St George hasn’t passed an ordinance yet but is considering using the WCWCD table with a maximum of 1,500 square feet of grass for lots over 18,000 square feet. They also express concern about these limits and are considering being aggressive. The consensus of the group is that these numbers are still too high.
More Landscaping Issues
WCWCD also recommends (for new construction):
- Prohibiting grass in parking strips, all landscape areas less than eight feet wide, and on any slope that exceeds 15%. (Santa Clara increased the slope to 20%)
- Requiring single-family homes have a minimum of two water-efficient shade trees with a minimum one-and-one-half-inch (1½”) caliper trunk. (Note: St George considered the idea of adding one additional tree per xx square feet of landscaped area.)
What Are Your Thoughts?
Please email me and the rest of the Ivins City Council your suggestions for dealing with grass, trees, and landscaping for new construction (email addresses at https://www.ivins.com/2020-government/). The City Council will discuss the WCWCDs proposed ordinance at their next meeting on March 24th, so this is the right time to share your ideas.
The more detail you can give for your recommendations, the better. I always like examples of what has worked or not worked elsewhere, or why option “A” will work better than option “B”, but your personal opinion is just as important and especially useful if explained thoughtfully.
Some of us would probably recommend no grass, no pools, no water features because we are in a severe drought. But it’s unlikely that would be approved. Some of us would probably say we will pay for the water we use so we should be able to do what we want on our property. Given our water situation, that’s also unlikely to be approved.
Please help us navigate between these two extremes. Also, keep in mind that this new ordinance will only apply to new construction. WCWCD is working on other actions to encourage water conservation in existing development.
Please share your comments and tell me about other Ivins issues I have not addressed in recent posts. CONTACT ME
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