Municipalities can help to reduce water demand for irrigation by integrating landscaping best practices into existing site plan guidelines, zoning bylaws, and subdivision rules and regulations.

Since irrigation demand is directly correlated with lawn size, local bylaws limiting the extent of turf (either in terms of square footage or as a percentage of the total lot) have had considerable success in reducing irrigation demand in development subject to the limitations.  By-laws may also encourage the use of native plants, require the preservation of existing plant communities, and/or require a certain depth of soil and percentage of organic content to ensure adequate moisture retention.  

Locally, there are a few examples of landscape requirements.  The Town of Falmouth enacted by-laws requiring Xeriscape (“a landscape designed with native, drought-tolerant species which require little fertilizer”) for all applicable projects (“all development projects other than single- or two-family dwellings that require a special permit or review”), unless a drip/mist irrigation system or a private well irrigation source is used (of course, private wells still have hydrologic impacts and result in a net loss of water from the watershed to the atmosphere, and therefore should be subject to the same irrigation restrictions and reporting requirements as municipal water).   

The Town of Sharon also has a provision requiring development in “Rural and Suburban 2” districts to retain at least 50% of the lot in natural vegetation, and requiring building lots in Conservation Subdivision Design developments to have at least 15% of the lot in natural vegetation.  Experience in Sharon suggests that enforcement is problematic.  Some observers have reported that developers simply leave “natural areas” bare, and homeowners seed them with lawn grass immediately after purchasing their new home from the developer.

While Sharon and Falmouth created new by-laws, other communities may instead opt to include similar provisions in zoning by-laws, subdivision rules and regulations, or site plan review standards.

14.a    Municipalities should adopt landscaping regulations or incorporate landscaping best practices into existing land use controls

14.b    Property owners should amend their soil with organic content to reduce or eliminate the need for irrigation

14.c    Water utilities should consider rebate programs for landscape conversion

Add Comment