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A. Intent. The following guidelines are recommended by the City to reduce the maintenance cost of a development, enhance the long-term health of plant material and reduce the cost of watering. The intent of water conservation guidelines is to ensure that costly plant material is provided with the opportunity to take advantage of natural watering and therefore reduce the amount of water required to maintain plant material health during the dry season. The intent of a plant material guideline is to encourage use of plants native to the Pacific Northwest and introduced plants common to the Pacific Northwest, in that order, in order to maximize use of rainwater, to reduce general maintenance needs and to encourage the development of landscape designs reflective of our natural surroundings. It is also the intent of these guidelines to encourage the use of drought-tolerant plants in landscape designs in order to reduce the amount of water devoted to outdoor watering at a time when population pressures are increasing faster than the water supply.

B. Water Conservation Guidelines. Water conservation measures shall be employed in the following manner:

1. Soil Preparation. Landscape areas should be deep-tilled to a depth of at least twelve (12) inches to facilitate deep water penetration and soil oxygenation. Use of soil amendments is encouraged to improve water drainage, moisture penetration or water-holding capacity. For all newly landscaped areas organic matter should be incorporated to a depth of four (4) to six (6) inches to facilitate deep water penetration and soil oxygenation.

2. Mulching. Mulch should be applied regularly to, and maintained in all, planting areas to assist soils in retaining moisture, reducing weed growth and minimizing erosion. Mulches include organic materials such as wood chips and shredded bark. Mulches should be applied to the following depths: three (3) inches over bare soil and two (2) inches where plant materials will cover.

3. Plant Types. Applicants are encouraged to utilize drought tolerant plant material native to Western Washington and introduced noninvasive plants common to the area that are well suited to the wet/dry climate of Puget Sound. [Ord. 726 § 2 (Exh. B), 2019.]