February 2008: DWR will host public hearing on the draft of the updated Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance to begin the 45-day public comment period.

March-April 2008: DWR will analyze and respond to the public comment and submit updated Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance and rulemaking package to the Office of Administrative Law (OAL).

June 2008: OAL will begin a 30-day review period on updated Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance and the DWR rulemaking package.

July-Dec. 2008: DWR will submit an updated Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance for adoption.

Jan. 2009: DWR will adopt the updated Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance.

Jan. 2010: Local agencies, as required by law, will adopt an updated Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance.

Stephanie Landregan, the chief landscape architect for the Mountains Recreation Authority and the Conservation Authority and a Southern Calif. ASLA Chapter (SCCASLA) trustee, notes that landscape architects need to give their input because they don?EUR??,,????'?????<

How to participate: As we go to press in late December, we?EUR??,,????'?????< www.oal.ca.gov

To learn more and how to participate, to www.oal.ca.gov/pdfs/HowToParticipate.pdf

You can submit written comments to mweo@water.ca.gov

The draft version of Assembly Bill 1881 will go into its final version in February of 2008, and be signed into law in March. However, there are still parts of the bill needing overview, suggestions and most importantly input from landscape architects so a more holistic approach to water conservation in California can be attained. In view of the ongoing drought in this state and the large cutbacks in water usage going into effect in 2008, the bill would require adoption of water conservation performance standards regulating irrigation equipment and the installation of meters to measure water use for landscaping purposes.

Stephanie Landregan, a Southern Calif. ASLA Chapter Trustee, Angela Woodward, past president of the Southern California ASLA and CCASLA delegate, as well as Andy Bowden, SCCASLA president are putting out a call to all landscape architects to do whatever they can to open up the discussion and give the legislators needed information to achieve this goal. They feel that one of the key aspects of this ordinance is that it addresses mainly industry concerns. ?EUR??,,????'?????<

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Adding to that, Ms. Landregan says, ?EUR??,,????'?????<

This will affect turf installations, often considered the evil plant material. Turf requires a lot: fertilizers and nitrates in addition to the water. But pools use as much water as lawns, and they also have chlorine and other chemicals. Grass varieties are now hybridized, so most turf installations are tough and stand up to high traffic. There aren?EUR??,,????'?????<

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Landscape architects need water to do the kind of work they do. If there is no green, many other things go out of balance. Stormwater runoff gets out of control, there is reduced carbon sequestration. The list goes on. After the fires ten years ago, the local fire departments made Draconian suggestions such as stripping the hillsides for the setbacks. That led to mudslides. Fire is part of the cycle, so the question should be, how do you deal with that cycle.?EUR??,,????'?????<

Angela Woodward feels it is better to intervene at this point in the drafting of the new legislation. ?EUR??,,????'?????<

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