Landscape Architect Articles

LASN Licensure/Legislation Nov, 200411-01-04 | News

Construction Cited for
Violating Clean Water Act

An inspector for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Region 10 office recently discovered that operators (owners and contractors) at seven Pocatello, Idaho area construction sites violated the federal Clean Water Act rules that protect lakes and streams from construction site runoff.

The violations were found during a recent round of inspections. In response, the EPA sent expedited settlement offers to both owners and contractors at the seven sites, with penalties reportedly ranging from $1,500 to $10,125, according to a press release.

The EPA has authority to quickly settle the storm water cases under the new Expedited Settlement Offer Policy, which allows reduced penalties at construction sites that are smaller than 50 acres and where the operators are first-time violators and where sediment has not been discharged to nearby waterways.

Source: Idaho State Journal

Dallas Steps up Sensor Requirements

The city of Dallas has increased city water ordinance requirements for automatic irrigation systems. It is now mandatory that all systems, including existing systems, have both rain and freeze sensors installed prior to Jan. 1. Previously, any system installed in 2002 or later was required to have the devices. In making this ruling,

Dallas Water Utilities cited both increased water savings and reduced repairs due to freezing. The utility recommends homeowners contact an irrigation professional to determine if their system is in compliance and, if not, to make the necessary upgrades. As an incentive, Dallas will offer rebates to help offset a portion of the cost of retrofitting the system to bring it into compliance. A homeowner will receive a water bill credit of up to $50 if the unit is installed by a professional. If a homeowner elects to make the installation themselves, the city will provide a free rain and freeze sensor.

Source: The Irrigation Association

Georgia Adopts Water Use Schedules

Due to new rules adopted by the state Board of Natural Resources, Georgia residents must follow outdoor water use schedules during drought and non-drought periods. ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Under the non-drought schedule, people with odd-numbered addresses may water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and those with even-numbered or unnumbered addresses may water on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. There are no mandatory hourly limitations.

Source: The Irrigation Association.

Zoning and Landscape Laws Course Offered Online

LASN contacted Buck Abbey recently to see what?EUR??,,????'?????<U.S. Landscape Ordinances: An Annotated Reference Handbook.

His latest venture is Zoning and Landscape Laws, an online study course offered through the regional planning department of Ohio State University. ?EUR??,,????'?????<LASN. It provides CE credits for planners, architects, engineers and landscape architects.

The course description notes that landscape and tree regulations are perhaps the fastest growing area of zoning law, a result of the environmental movement of the 1970s, new urbanism and conservation planning in the 1980s and smart growth in the 1990s.

The course teaches the green law aspects of zoning, what a landscape code is, the basic vocabulary of landscape codes, how landscape, tree and clearing laws are structured, and how they are administered. Follow-up courses will be on the geography of development sites, technical code language and how to draft landscape regulations into zoning law.

P.S. Prof. Abbey has several other projects: He?EUR??,,????'?????<

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The course fee is $75. For more information call (614) 247-7479 or visit https://knowlton.osu.edu/ped/landscape.htm. You can also email Jennifer Evans-Cowley ped@knowlton.osu.edur.