Landscape Irrigation Efficiency Design Code
Enacted by the Alachua County Commission in April 2016 and Nine million gallons of water were saved by the following year.
Stacie Greco is the Alachua County’s water conservation coordinator has shared the water savings and other results from the first year of the code during at the recent commission meeting.
This code was created to improve landscape irrigation efficiency, water quality and to reduce discretionary outdoor water use in new construction developments in unincorporated Alachua County, said Greco.
All new irrigation systems install in unincorporated Alachua County must submit an application, sketches and paying a fee. Applications fee for residential projects costs $50 for plan reviews, $85 for inspections and $50 for re-inspections when required. The fees for nonresidential projects include $100 for plan reviews, $170 for inspections and $100 for re-inspections. Greco has mentioned, “The county has collected nearly $15,000 in fees. More than 200 projects have sought approval since the code took effect, and approximately 25 percent of them failed the initial review of their requests.”
Inspections can be done by the county, irrigation companies or a third party. In 2017 There is only 22 percent of the companies are certified to do self-inspections. For a company to qualify to do the self-inspections, companies must complete the State Voluntary Irrigation License program or take a one-day course to become a Florida Water Star Accredited Professional administered by the county EPD in partnership with the St. Johns River Water Management District and Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association.
More water will be saved when more property owners begin understanding the
The importance of conserving water is to save water since water is not an endless resource. When more property owners understand the importance conserving would have their irrigation systems set to water landscapes base on the various seasons and not be used at all when it is raining and few days after a good rain storm. The goal is to endure property owners is more aware of what irrigation technician are doing to save water. “We want to help our customer save water” says Kevin McCoy
