The
browning of Yorba Linda continues with the latest 5-0 City Council
decision to turn off irrigation on 37 acres of turf maintained by the
city's Landscape Maintenance Assessment District and other areas
overseen by the Public Works Department.
Earlier
council action turned off water for ornamental turf areas in street
medians, and the new vote turns off water for turf areas in six local
landscape and two arterial (major street) zones. Trees will continue
to be watered.
The
decision will help the city avoid some – but not all – of the
Yorba Linda Water District's penalties for consuming too much water.
Another
earlier decision to cut landscape irrigation from three to two days
weekly will result in a reduction of about 23 percent in landscape
district and public works areas, Public Works Director Mike Wolfe
reported in his most recent conservation update.
The
street median water reduction will save an added two percent for a
total 25 percent cut, with the new turnoffs expected to help the city
reach the state-mandated 36 percent level, Wolfe noted.
Turf
areas maintained by the landscape district are subject to the turnoff
unless they contain playground equipment. Turf maintained by the
Parks and Recreation Department, including athletic fields, will
continue to be watered twice-a-week under Stage 3 rules.
New
local landscape zone turnoffs affect 15 acres in the East Lake area;
five acres in the west part of Vista Del Verde; four acres near Yorba
Linda Country Club; and two acres each
in the
Hidden Hills, central part of Vista Del Verde and west part of Camino
De Bryant areas.
New
arterial zone turnoffs include two acres each in the northwest part
of the city and the East Lake areas. Turnoffs also involve other
areas less than an acre each.
Also
affected are turf areas maintained by the Public Works Department,
mostly drainage facilities along Avenida Rio Oro and Brookmont and
Kingsbriar drives, excepting two areas with Parks and Recreation
Department play equipment.
Water
use from irrigation meters is limited to 115 units per monthly
billing period, with penalties for excess use from $65 to $1,000 per
meter, depending on the overage amount. One billing unit is 748
gallons.
“Even
with the proposed reduction of water usage by 36 percent, there are
approximately 180 irrigation meters within the city that will likely
be subject to the administrative penalties,” noted Wolfe, who
estimated penalties could reach $240,000 per year.
“We
are working with a landscape architect to develop a plan to mitigate
the city's exposure to penalties from the water district. The
consultant's work will also include potential impacts to existing
landscaping,” Wolfe added.
The
council also voted 3-2 to use $79,700 in general fund reserves to
re-route irrigation lines for some public street medians and
street-adjacent locations in 12 arterial and local landscape zones to
avoid excess water runoff.