Water Conservation Code Amendments

Mayor and Council approve EPA WaterSense Certified Fixture requirements in all new development

The proposed amendment to modify the current 2018 International Plumbing Code and 2018 International Residential Code to require the use of EPA WaterSense Certified Fixtures in all development was approved by Mayor and Council with a 7-0 vote on June 6, 2023. The Tucson – Pima Joint Consolidated Code Committee voted 5-0 on May 4, 2023, to recommend approval of the amendments.

The amendments will go into effect 30 days after approval by Mayor and Council, setting the effective date of this code amendment as July 6, 2023. All plans/permits submitted after this date will be required to comply with the reduced maximum flow rates stated above.

The proposed amendment was initially directed by Mayor and Council during the October 18, 2022, study session to discuss water conservation measures related to the City Drought Response. WaterSense is a federally authorized, voluntary program sponsored by the EPA (established in 2006) that certifies water-efficient products and provides efficiency standards for plumbing fixtures, irrigation controllers, and sprinklers. WaterSense-labeled products and services are certified to use at least 20 percent less water, save energy, and perform as well as or better than regular models.

WaterSense is a federally authorized, voluntary program sponsored by the EPA (established in 2006) that certifies water-efficient products and provides efficiency standards for plumbing fixtures, irrigation controllers, and sprinklers. WaterSense-labeled products and services are certified to use at least 20 percent less water, save energy, and perform as well as or better than regular models.

EPA WaterSense Fixtures Specifications

Fixture

Maximum Flow Rate

Tank-Type Toilets 

1.28 gallons/flush 

Lavatory Faucets 

1.5 gpm at 60 psi 

Flushing Urinals 

0.5 gallons/flush 

Flushometer-Valve Toilets  

1.28 gallons/flush 

Showerheads 

Equal to or less than 2.0 gallons per minute 


UDC Text Amendment approved by Mayor and Council regarding Prohibition of Ornamental Turf

On June 6, 2023, Mayor and Council approved Unified Development Code (UDC) amendments to prohibit ornamental turf in new commercial, industrial, institutional, and common areas of residential development in order to support further water conservation measures administered by Planning and Development Services (PDSD) and Tucson Water. This was approved by Mayor and Council with a 7-0 vote.

This proposed amendment was initially directed by Mayor and Council during the October 18, 2022, study session to discuss water conservation measures related to the City Drought Response.

Planning and Development Services Department and Tucson Water conducted outreach from January through April 2023, engaging the community on water conservation measures. The Planning Commission held a study session on March 15, 2023, and a public hearing on April 19, 2023, where the Planning Commission voted 9-0 to forward a recommendation of approval with some clarifying text adjustments.

The proposed text amendments include revisions to Unified Development Code (UDC) Landscape Standards (UDC Section 7.6.4) to prohibit all ornamental turf in new development and to include the following definition of ornamental turf developed for the Arizona Municipal Water Users’ Association (AMWUA).

  • Grass areas with any single dimension of eight feet or less  

  • Grass areas exceeding a 4-to-1, or 25%, slope  

  • Grass areas that are not accessible by paved pathways and/or are restricted by physical barriers that prohibit accessibility  

  • Grass areas installed closer than ten feet to a street and/or in front entryways to residential neighborhoods or subdivisions where other recreational amenities do not exist  

  • Grass areas that are not utilized for active recreational purposes  

Staff also proposes to include a new definition of active recreation in UDC Section 11.4.2 that would exempt the turf prohibition for areas such as schools, parks, sports fields, dog parks, or golf courses, or similar areas that commonly use turf for functional and recreational uses. 

The UDC Text Amendment will go into effect on July 6, 2023

Planning Commission Public Hearing on the Prohibition of Ornamental Turf held on April 19, 2023

PDSD staff presented a proposed a code amendment that would ban ornamental turf at a Planning Commission public hearing on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. The Planning Commission voted 9-0 to recommend this UDC code amendment to Mayor and Council.

The proposal is tentatively scheduled to go to Mayor and Council for a public hearing in the coming weeks.

Planning Commission materials can be found here

Watch a recording of the meeting here


Planning Commission Study Session on the Prohibition of Ornamental Turf held on March 15, 2023

On March 15, 2023, the Planning Commission held a study session to discuss the proposed banning of ornamental truf through a Unified Development Code text amendment. The following are the materials and recording from that meeting:

Watch a recording of the meeting here


Stakeholder Outreach

Throughout early 2023, Tucson city staff have met with diverse groups of stakeholders to review trends, existing conditions, and discuss possible changes to the Unified Development Code (UDC) that will affect the use of ornamental turf. 

  • January 19  Tucson Development Center Stakeholder Luncheon 
  • January 23  Conservation and Education Subcommittee of the Citizens Water Advisory Committee (CWAC) 
  • January 24  Metropolitan Pima Alliance Public Policy Committee 
  • February 1  Water Conservation Code Amendment Stakeholder Meeting 

Background

On October 18, 2022, Mayor and Council directed staff to move forward with the following code amendments related to water conservation.

Listed in order from short term focus to long term focus:

  • Prohibition of non-functional turf - now referred to as ornamental turf
  • Requirement for WaterSense fixtures
  • Requirement for separate meters for outdoor irrigation
  • Low Impact Development Standards
  • Net Zero Water

On February 21, 2023, Mayor and Council directed Tucson Water and Planning and Development staff to begin the process of phasing out 'non-functional turf' in residential and commercial development. This involves revising the Unified Development Code (UDC) to ban new installations and develop a program to remove existing installations by June 2026.

What is Ornamental Turf or Non-Functional Turf?

Both terms are used to refer to a kind of grass area that is not able to be used for recreation. A UDC amendment will be more useful if it includes a more specific definition, like the one used by Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA) which defines non-functional turf as grass areas:

  • with any single dimension of 8 feet or less
  • with a steep slope (more than 25%)
  • not accessible by paved paths or restricted by physical barriers
  • that are closer than 10 feet to a street