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<br />-: -. . ..' .~. ,. , .. .A. - -'J . <br />-<,,~~~;:~~~~~h~~~\i{4b.~~~~~'~~,*~~~~~d;ic~'~~-J~~~.tt~1Ia~+r'~)M~~l.~_~Jel~;~~~'i..~. <br />.,'" ",\:.' ..-:' <br /> <br />" <br /> <br />\-j., . <br /> <br />'. . <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />g) Convert from potable to raw water irrigation of public landscapes. , where {Jossible . <br /> <br />'"Approximately 360 acres of the 491 acres (73%) of the City's irrigated parks, <br />,medians, facilities, golf courses, and cemeteries are irrigated with raw water. It <br />,', "is possible that this could be increased somewhat. The Water and Wastewater <br />Utility currently has a rebate program available to its customers to encourage this <br />conversion. ' <br /> <br />In addition to conversions, an emphasis could be placed on the utilization of raw <br />water, where feasible, for the irrigation of newly-acquired public land. <br /> <br />h) Stronger emphasis on xeriscape for public landscaping. <br /> <br />The City already gives notable consideration to water demand, as a criteria in <br />developing a landscape design for public land. It may be worthwhile to give it <br />even stronger weight, both in terms of practice and in terms of a stated policy. <br /> <br />2. Brin!! about the increased improvement of soils with or!!anic matter by, (a) requiring <br />the practice in conjunction with new development, or (b) offering a rebate. <br /> <br />The addition of organic matter to our high-clay soils improves their infiltration rates <br />and water-holding capacity. Additionally, it improves the fertility and structure of the <br />soil. All of this results in less water runoff and improved plant health. Because of the <br />improved plant health, people are less likely to unwittingly apply excess water. <br /> <br />The City of Aurora, Colorado, and several California communities require soil <br />amendments. The typical requirement is for 3 cubic yards of organic matter (usually <br />defmed as compost, peat moss, aged manures, or aged sawdust) per 1000 square feet <br />of planted landscape area. Locally, costs range from $10 to $20 per cubic yard, <br />depending upon the quality and quantity of_~: prod~~___~__-_--- <br />~-----~- <br /> <br />'-----~-3~---BifrU!about the increased installation of water-conserving plumbing: fixtures by (a) <br />requiring the use of 1.6 gallons per flush toilets and 2.5 gpm showerheads for new <br />construction or when replaced, or (D) offering a rebate for the installation of a 1. 6 <br />gallon per flush toilet. <br /> <br />Our current ordinance, enacted in 1977, requires the use of 3.5 gallon per flush toilets <br />and 3.0 gallon per minute showerheads. As a rule, 3.5 gallon per flush toilets were not <br />designed specifically for that amount of water use; they are simply the older design of <br />5 to 7 gallon per flush toilets "throttled back" to only use 3.5 gallons. In contrast, the <br />1.6 gallon toilets-referred to as U.L.F.'s (ultra-low flush) or U.L.V.'s (ultra-low <br />volume)-have been completely re-designed for the lower water use. They have been <br />used extensively and successfully in Europe for the past 18 years, and are now required <br />for new construction in seven states (including California and New York). Many <br /> <br />6 <br />