§ 47-21.10. Irrigation.

A.

Sufficient irrigation, as determined by Zoning Administrator or designee in accordance with the design of the landscaped area and the requirements of the plant material to be used, shall be supplied to all landscaped areas. When required, irrigation systems shall be installed to provide coverage to target areas, minimizing spray upon public sidewalks, streets or adjacent properties. Irrigation systems compatible with Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ principles shall be encouraged. This may include the use of low volume, low pressure, subsurface irrigation systems, and other such methods, such as rainbarrels, cisterns and handwatering, which encourage water conservation. All automatic lawn or landscape irrigation systems shall be equipped with and operate a moisture sensor or approved automatic switch which overrides the irrigation cycle when adequate rainfall has occurred.

B.

All irrigation systems shall meet the irrigation standards developed pursuant to Section 373.228, Florida Statutes, as amended. All landscape areas, excluding single-family residences and duplex dwellings, shall be provided with an automatically operating, underground irrigation system designed to have head-to-head one hundred percent (100%) coverage. Drip, trickle, or other low-volume or micro-irrigation systems shall be required for non-turf areas unless the owner demonstrates and the City agrees that the size of the area makes such systems financially infeasible or a tripping hazard associated with these systems has been identified. Irrigation systems shall be designed to minimize application of water to impervious areas.

1.

Irrigation systems shall be designed to meet the needs of the plants in the landscape.

2.

Irrigation systems shall be designed to separately serve turf and non-turf areas.

3.

Irrigation system plans and specifications shall identify the materials to be used and the construction methods.

4.

Irrigation systems shall be designed to consider soil, slope, and other site characteristics in order to minimize water waste, including overspray, the watering of impervious surfaces and other non-vegetated areas, and off-site runoff.

5.

Irrigation systems shall be designed to minimize free flow conditions in case of damage or other mechanical failure.

6.

Irrigation systems shall be designed to use the lowest quality water available at the time of the installation.

7.

A recommended seasonal operating schedule and average precipitation rates for each irrigation zone for both establishment and maintenance conditions shall be provided.

8.

Control systems shall provide the following minimum capabilities:

a.

Ability to be programmed in minutes, by day of week, season, and time of day;

b.

Ability to accommodate multiple start times and programs;

c.

Automatic shut-off after adequate rainfall or detection of adequate soil moisture;

d.

Ability to maintain time during power outages for a minimum of three (3) days; and

e.

Operational flexibility to meet applicable year-round water conservation requirements and temporary water shortage restrictions.

9.

Recommended maintenance activities and schedules shall be provided.

10.

Precipitation rates for sprinklers and all other emitters in the same zone shall be matched, except that micro-irrigation emitters may be specified to meet the requirements of individual plants.

11.

Irrigation systems shall be designed to maximize uniformity, considering factors such as emitter types, head spacing, sprinkler pattern, and water pressure at the emitter.

12.

Irrigation systems with main lines larger than two (2) inches or designed to supply more than seventy (70) gallons per minute shall incorporate a means to measure irrigation water use, at a minimum of ninety-five percent (95%) accuracy across the flow range.

13.

The system installer shall conduct final testing and adjustments to achieve irrigation system specifications prior to completion of the system installation and acceptance by the owner or owner's representative.

14.

The system installer shall provide property owners and users with post-construction documentation, including as-built drawings, recommended maintenance activities and schedules, operational schedules, design precipitation rates, instructions on adjusting the system to apply less water after the landscape is established, water source, water shut-off method, and the manufacturer's operational guide for the irrigation controller. Property owners are encouraged to safely store such information and make it available to subsequent property owners.

15.

All licensed contractors installing or performing work on automatic landscape irrigation systems must comply with the provisions of Section 373.62, Florida Statutes, as amended, which may be enforced by the City pursuant to this chapter.

16.

To assist the end user to operate the system properly, the following should be provided to the owner at the time of installation:

a.

A map of the system;

b.

Irrigation scheduling information, with instructions for seasonal timer and sensor changes; and

c.

An irrigation valve site map detailing valve locations, gallons per minute demands, precipitation rates, plant types within valve circuits, and operating pressure requirements for each valve.

17.

The irrigation system shall be designed to correlate to the organization of plants into hydrozones. These hydrozones shall be shown on the Irrigation Plan, as required. All plants require watering during establishment. Temporary facilities may be installed to facilitate establishment. Irrigation must be conducted in accordance with South Florida Water Management District restrictions. If local water restrictions are more restrictive, then irrigation must be conducted in accordance with the stricter restrictions.

18.

Pursuant to Section 373.62, Florida Statutes, as amended, rain shut-off switch equipment shall be required on automatic irrigation systems to avoid irrigation during periods of sufficient rainfall or soil moisture. The equipment shall consist of an automatic mechanical or electronic sensing device or switch that will override the irrigation cycle of the sprinkler system when adequate rainfall has occurred.

19.

The installation of tracer wire along main lines and laterals is strongly encouraged to permit easy location and prevent inadvertent cutting of pipes.

20.

If the water supply for the irrigation system is from a well, a constant pressure flow control device or pressure tank with adequate capacity shall be required to minimize pump "cycling".

21.

Check valves must be installed at irrigation heads, as needed, to prevent low head drainage and puddling.

22.

Nozzle precipitation rates for all heads within each valve circuit must be matched to within twenty percent (20%) of one another.

23.

Water spray from irrigation systems shall be applied to landscape areas only and not directed toward structures.

24.

Irrigated areas shall not be less than four (4) feet wide, except when using micro or drip irrigation.

25.

A pressure-regulating valve shall be installed and maintained if static service pressure exceeds eighty (80) psi.

26.

Preserved ecological communities shall be only temporarily irrigated as needed for newly installed plants during an establishment period as required by the City.

27.

On lots under five thousand (5,000) square feet in size requiring landscape upgrades, irrigation may be accomplished by the installation and use of hand watering in accordance with current water restrictions.

(Ord. No. C-97-19, § 1(47-21.7), 6-18-97; Ord. No. C-99-15, § 5, 3-16-99; Ord. No. C-04-3, § 6, 2-3-04; Ord. No. C-15-09, § 10, 2-17-15 )

Note— Formerly § 47-21.7.