Law Emphasizes Water Conservation

The Planning Commission unanimously approved to amend its existing ordinance in an effort to comply with state regulated water conservation guidelines. Developers of new residential projects and residents with large lots wanting to make changes to their landscaping will have to make sure what they plant is water efficient.

The change in the city's code was needed to comply with Assembly Bill 1881, which requires water-efficient landscaping for new and renewable landscapes, according to city officials.

AB 1881, enacted in 2006, amends the state's 1992 Water Conservation and Landscaping Act and requires all California cities and counties to adopt these new water efficient landscaping models.

The new provision applies to the following types of projects: new landscape installations by developers and property managers and new projects by individual homeowners on single-family or multi-family residential lots with a total project area equal to or greater than 5,000 square feet.

Additionally, existing landscapes which are not being altered and are less than one acre in size are exempt from the provisions of the ordinance.