Going native to protect water supply

CHENEY – City officials are taking several steps to address the strain on Cheney’s water system due to growth and a reduction in water supply — one of which is how the city looks when it comes to landscaping.

To that extent, planning department staff has proposed several changes and additions to Cheney’s municipal code on landscaping — proposals reviewed by Planning Commission members at their Feb. 10 meeting. Those changes center on conservation measures derived from encouraging the use of low-water-demand foliage, irrigation requirements and a push to utilize the practice of xeriscaping, a type of landscaping that requires little or no irrigation and often incorporates local dryland vegetation.

In a preliminary overview of the changes at the commission’s November 2019 meeting, planning intern Tynan Stevenson pointed out that satellite imagery indicated 90-95 percent of Cheney’s single-family neighborhoods had traditional grass lawns. He also said his research from city utility data revealed the city’s multifamily complexes used far less water per person than single-family residences.

Stevenson added information from the city’s water conservation plan anticipated an 11-foot decline in Cheney’s water supply levels by 2026. Implementation of a water conservation plan would shave about four feet off this decline, with the remaining seven feet needing to be addressed via other methods.

As such, the proposed changes and additions in the city’s landscaping codes call upon requiring more efficiency first through limiting the amount of water-intensive foliage such as turf grass to “no more than 50 percent of the project’s landscaped area if non-drought resistant grass is used” and no more than 75 percent if drought-resistant grass is planted.

Low-demand foliage that is “well-suited to the climate, soils and topographic conditions of the site” would be encouraged, with plants having similar irrigation requirements grouped together in “distinct hydrozones” irrigated on separate system circuits. Xeriscaping utilizing best practices and low-moisture plants “defined by Washington State University Spokane County Master Gardener Program materials and/or relevant CheneyScape materials” along with plant selection per site specific criteria such as slope, soil and sun exposure would be allowed.

To get residents to buy into the conservation measures, the city would institute a rebate program to help cover some of the costs of either replacing existing landscaping or using the practices in new development. The money would be allocated through the annual budgeting process, and Public Works Director Todd Ableman told the commission there had been discussing about using the city’s recently implemented tiered water billing system as a source for those funds.

Commissioner Dan Turbeville voiced skepticism about the proposal’s popularity among residents, noting the changes have not been well publicized.

“You’re basically telling people who live in single-family homes that we don’t have enough water because it has to go to these apartment buildings,” Turbeville said. “I for one do not want to replant my yard in wheat, which is what I see out of this.”

Commissioner Vara Lyn Conrath explained that many of the proposals, such as xeriscaping and conservation measures, had been the subject of several community meetings and presentations at events such as Mayfest, and had been generally well received. Commissioner Dan Hillman said the city will still need to be careful with how the proposals are presented.

“As long as it’s carrots and not sticks, I think it will be fine,” he added.

Senior planner Brett Lucas said the new code language is meant to act as guidelines and incentives for people to consider implementing conservation measures if they so desire. As such, he agreed with suggestions from commissioners Natasha Jostad and Hillman that guidelines and lists of specific plants be defined in the codes, rather than providing links to websites.

“They want to know exactly ‘what I need to do to get some money back,’” Lucas said, adding the guidelines should be “loose, but defined.”

The landscaping proposal and changes to the city’s occupancy codes will be the subject of a public hearing at the commission’s March 9 meeting. The proposals must be adopted by the City Council before they can become law.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.