Santa Paula City Zoning Code
CHAPTER 16
99: DRAINAGE, EROSION, AND DUST CONTROL
§ 16.99.010 PURPOSE AND APPLICABILITY.
This chapter establishes standards for the conduct of all grading activity, whether or not a grading permit is required pursuant to Chapters 16.96 through 16.99 (Grading and Erosion Control) of this Title 16.
(Ord. 1103, passed 3-7-05)
§ 16.99.020 SLOPE PROTECTION AND GRADED SURFACE REVEGETATION.
(A) All manufactured slopes greater than three feet in height and all graded areas not to be occupied by structures or other approved improvements must be planted with live landscape material and provided with an automatic irrigation system in accordance with landscaping and irrigation plans approved by the Planning Director.
(B) Installation of landscaping and irrigation required for erosion and sediment control must be completed within 30 days of completion of grading activity. All other required landscaping and irrigation must be installed in accordance with applicable land use and development permits.
(C) Acceptable landscape materials used for slope protection and erosion/sediment control include groundcover from rooted cuttings, hydromulched mixtures, lawn seed or sod, or other similar materials, and may include certain species of trees, as shown on landscape plans approved by the Planning Director.
(D) For slopes in hillside residential areas, fire hazard mitigation landscape approaches must be used consistent with the requirements of § 16.13.150 (Fire Hazard Mitigation) of this Title 16.
(E) The use of fire-resistant, drought-tolerant landscape materials is encouraged.
(Ord. 1103, passed 3-7-05)
§ 16.99.030 PROTECTION OF TREES DURING GRADING.
(A) Identification of tree protection. Where any mature trees will affected by grading, other than trees for which removal will be permitted via a tree removal permit pursuant to Chapter 16.232 of this Title 16, details for retaining walls, drains, pruning, trimming, and the establishment of a drip line with respect to each such tree must be prepared by a licensed landscape architect and be included with the grading plan. Grading or activity detrimental to the health of such tree is prohibited to take place within an established drip line of the tree.
(B) Protective fences required. Prior to the commencement of grading, fences must be constructed around the established drip line of all such trees. The purpose of such fences is to prevent grading, heavy equipment work, and the storage or dumping of materials within the established drip lines of such trees. Grading or other site work within the established drip line must be only as authorized by the approved grading plan and must be supervised and approved by a landscape architect in attendance continuously during the progress of the work. Fences may be temporarily removed or omitted, upon the approval of the City Engineer or Building Official, to facilitate such authorized work. All such work must comply with the approved details to protect the tree.
(C) Coordination. Where mature trees could be affected by a grading operation, a field orientation meeting must take place prior to the commencement of the work when deemed necessary or desirable by the City Engineer or Building Official. The purpose of such meeting is to communicate the approved methods of grading and tree preservation to all parties involved with the grading operation. Such meeting should include the City Engineer or Building Official or their authorized representatives, a representative of the Planning Department, the permittee or his or her authorized representative, the landscape architect, and the soils engineer.
(Ord. 1103, passed 3-7-05)
§ 16.99.040 PROTECTION OF WATERCOURSES AND WETLANDS.
(A) Watercourses and wetlands must, to the maximum extent feasible, be left in their natural state, with grading designed to protect such features.
(B) Grading, dredging, or any similar disturbance of a watercourse or wetland will not be permitted except in accord with an approved grading plan and provided that all permit requirements imposed by state and federal agencies with jurisdiction have been complied with. Proof of compliance with other agencies' requirements must be provided to the satisfaction of the City Engineer or Building Official, and the Planning Director.
(C) Watercourses and wetlands must be protected during grading operations in accord with standards and requirements of the State of California Regional Water Quality Control Board, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other state or federal agency with jurisdiction. Proof of compliance with other agencies' requirements must be provided to the satisfaction of the City Engineer or Building Official, and the Planning Director.
(Ord. 1103, passed 3-7-05)
§ 16.99.050 DRAINAGE PROVISIONS.
(A) General. The drainage structures and devices required by this chapter must conform to the provisions of this section as well as recognized principles of hydraulics.
(B) Disposal. Drainage facilities must be designed to carry surface waters to the nearest practical street, storm drain, or natural watercourse approved by the City Engineer or Building Official or other appropriate governmental agency as a safe place to deposit such waters. Desilting basins, filter barriers or other methods, as approved by the City Engineer or Building Official, must be utilized to remove sediments from surface waters before such waters are allowed to enter streets, storm drains or natural watercourses. If the drainage device discharges onto natural ground, riprap or a similar energy dissipator may be required.
(C) Site drainage. Graded building sites (building pads) must have a minimum slope of 2% toward a public street or drainage structure approved to receive storm waters. A lesser slope may be approved by the City Engineer or Building Official for sites graded in relatively flat terrain, or where special drainage provisions are made, when the City Engineer or Building Official finds such modification will not result in unfavorable drainage conditions. The grading must provide for drainage around proposed buildings and their appurtenances.
(D) Drainage terraces required. All cut or fill slopes steeper than three horizontal to one vertical must have drainage terraces. For slopes not steeper than three horizontal to one vertical, the City Engineer or Building Official may require a drainage and terrace design to be submitted. Suitable access to permit proper cleaning and maintenance must be provided for all drainage terraces. Cut or fill slopes more than 30 feet in height must have drainage terraces provided vertical intervals not exceeding 25 feet except that where only one terrace is required, it must be at midheight. Such terraces must be not less than eight feet in width (measured horizontally from the outside edge). When the total slope height exceeds 100 feet, one terrace near midheight must be not less than 20 feet in width (measured horizontally from the outside edge). In lieu of the above, for cut and fill slopes greater than 120 feet in height, the applicant may submit a drainage and terrace design by a civil engineer to be approved by the City Engineer or Building Official.
(E) Drainage terraces construction. Drainage terraces must have a longitudinal grade of not less than 5% nor more than 12% and a minimum depth of one foot at a flow line. There must be no reduction in grade along the direction of flow unless the velocity of flow is such that the slope debris will remain in suspension on the reduced grade. Such terraces must be paved with concrete not less than three inches thick reinforced with 6-inch x 6-inch No. 10 x No. 10 welded wire fabric or equivalent reinforcing centered in the concrete slab. Drainage terraces exceeding eight feet in width need only be so paved for a width of eight feet provided such pavement provides a paved channel at least one foot in depth. Downdrains or drainage outlets must be provided at approximately 300 foot intervals along the drainage terrace or at equivalent locations. Downdrains and drainage outlets must be of approved materials and of adequate capacity to convey the intercepted waters to the point of disposal as defined in subsection (B) of this section.
(F) Overflow protection. Berms, swales or other devices must be provided at the top of cut or fill slopes to prevent surface waters from overflowing onto the damaging face of the slope. Gutters or other special drainage controls must be provided where the proximity of runoff from buildings or other structures is such as to pose a potential hazard to slope integrity. Swales used for slope protection must conform with subsection (H) of this section. Berms used for slope protection must be at least 12 inches above the level of the pad and must slope back at least four feet from the top of the slope.
(G) Subsurface drainage. Cut and fill slopes must be provided with subsurface drainage as necessary for stability. Any required subsurface drainage facilities will be passive in design and require no ongoing monitoring to insure site stability.
(H) Interceptor drains. Paved interceptor drains must be installed along the top of all cut slopes where the height of the cut is greater than five feet measured vertically. Interceptor drains must be paved with a minimum of four inches of concrete or granite and reinforced as required for drainage terraces. They must have a minimum depth of 12 inches and a minimum paved width of 36 inches measured horizontally across the drain. The side slope of interceptor drains must not be steeper than 1-1/2:1. The slope of the drain must be approved by the City Engineer or Building Official.
(I) Drainage guidelines. All drainage devices which collect from the slopes must be screened by means of underground pipes, diagonal curvilinear drains, rock-lining, colored concrete or other approved materials to blend with the natural topography in character, color or design. Downdrains must be non-centralized to avoid a repetitive pattern. Where feasible, underground drains must be utilized.
(J) Cross lot drainage device maintenance. All cross lot drainage devices not eligible for transfer to a flood control district or similar entity must be maintained by the owner or a private entity such as a homeowners association.
(Ord. 1103, passed 3-7-05)
§ 16.99.060 EROSION AND STORMWATER CONTROL.
Best Management Practices, or BMP, must be used to control erosion and stormwater runoff during all grading and construction activities consistent with Chapter 54 (Stormwater Quality Management) of Title V of the Santa Paula Municipal Code and the Building Code.
(A) Slopes. The faces of cut and fill slopes must be prepared and maintained to control erosion. This control must consist of jute netting and effective planting as described elsewhere in this section, or other devices satisfactory to the City Engineer or Building Official.
(B) Planting. The surface of all cut slopes more than five feet in height and fill slopes more than three feet in height must be protected against damage by erosion by planting with grass or ground cover plants. Slopes exceeding 15 feet in vertical height must also be planted with shrubs, spaced at not to exceed ten feet on centers; or trees, spaced at not to exceed ten feet on centers; or a combination of shrubs and trees at equivalent spacings, in addition to the grass or groundcover plants. The plants selected and planting methods used must be suitable for the soil and climatic conditions of the site and in accordance with standard specifications prepared by the City Engineer or Building Official. Planting need not be provided for cut slopes rocky in character and not subject to damage by erosion and any slopes protected against erosion damage by other methods when such methods have been specifically recommended by a soil engineer, engineer geologist, or equivalent authority and found to offer erosion protection equal to that provided by the planting specified in this section. Plant material must be selected which will produce a coverage of permanent planting effectively controlling erosion. Consideration must be given to deep rooted plant material needing limited watering, to low maintenance during the lifetime of the project, to high root to shoot ratio (weight of above ground parts versus root system), wind susceptibility and fire-retardant characteristics.
(C) Irrigation. Slopes required to be planted by subsection (B) above must be provided with an approved system of irrigation, designed to cover all portions of the slope and plans therefore must be submitted and approved prior to installation. A functional test of the system may be required. For slopes less than 20 feet in vertical height, hose bibs to permit hand watering will be acceptable if such hose bibs are installed at conveniently accessible locations where a hose no longer than 50 feet is necessary for irrigation. The requirements for permanent irrigation systems may be modified upon specific recommendation of a landscape architect or equivalent authority that because of the type of plans selected, the planting methods used and the soil and climatic conditions at the site, an irrigation will not be necessary for the maintenance of the slope planting.
(D) Plans and specifications. Planting and irrigation plans must be submitted for slopes required to be planted and irrigated by subsections (B) and (C) of this section. Except as waived by the City Engineer or Building Official for minor grading, the plans for slopes 20 feet or more in vertical height must be prepared and signed by a civil engineer or landscape architect. These plans must be approved by the city prior to issuance of the grading permit unless other provisions are made to the satisfaction of the City Engineer or Building Official. The responsibility of maintenance of drainage terrace must be clearly stated on the grading plan to the satisfaction of the City Engineer or Building Official.
(E) Rodent control. Fill slopes steeper than two horizontal and one vertical within a grading project located adjacent to undeveloped and unoccupied land (as determined by the City Engineer or Building Official) to be infested by burrowing rodents, must be protected from potential slope damage by a preventative program of rodent control.
(F) Release of security. The planting and irrigation systems required by this section must be installed as soon as practical after rough grading. Prior to final approval of grading and before the release of any grading security, the planting must be well established and growing on the slopes and, where required by subsection (E) of this section, there must be evidence of an effective rodent control program.
(G) Other devices. Where necessary, check dams, cribbing, riprap or other devices or methods must be employed to control any erosion. Also, jute netting must be immediately installed on any slopes having a vertical height of seven feet or more and steeper than 3:1 (horizontal: vertical) to minimize or control erosion problems.
(H) Maintenance. Graded and/or landscaped areas are to be maintained in accordance with the original landscape plans and design concept per the originally approved subdivision or development plans. Any alteration of landscape plans or of areas must be approved by the city. Homeowner encroachments such as fences, block walls, structures, unauthorized plantings, alterations to the irrigation, grading or drainage are not allowed. Any approved alterations must be done by city-authorized crews through an approved city permit. Failure to comply with this section will constitute a use of land contrary to the provisions of this Code and is deemed a public nuisance under this Code.
(Ord. 1103, passed 3-7-05)
§ 16.99.070 DUST PREVENTION AND CONTROL PROVISIONS.
To protect the health, safety, and general welfare, all construction sites must make all reasonable efforts to prevent or control blowing dust and debris. Property owners shall be responsible for maintaining their property in such a manner that dust and other wind borne debris transported to adjacent properties are kept to reasonable minimal levels. In the case of site grading and other construction operations, it will also be the responsibility of the permittee to make all reasonable efforts to control blowing dust and debris onto adjacent properties. When grading operations involve the hauling of dirt from one site to another, it is also the permittee's responsibility to maintain the public streets in a clean condition and limit any spillage that would generate dust or other blowing debris.
(A) Dust prevention and control plan required. A dust prevention and control plan shall be submitted in conjunction with a grading plan or other plan involving the movement of dirt. The City Engineer or Building Official may also require the submittal of a dust prevention and control plan for other development deemed necessary.
(B) Plan requirements. The plan shall demonstrate that the discharge of dust from the construction site will not occur or can be controlled to an acceptable level depending on the particular site conditions and circumstances. The plan shall address site conditions during construction operations, after normal working hours, and during various phases of construction. The plan shall include the name and the 24-hour phone number of a responsible party in case of emergency. If the importing or exporting of dirt is necessary as demonstrated by the cut and fill quantities on the grading plan, the plan shall also include the procedures necessary to keep the public streets and private properties along the haul route free of dirt, dust, and other debris. When an entire project is to be graded and the subsequent construction on the site is to be completed in phases, the portion of the site not under construction shall be treated with dust preventive substance or plant materials and an irrigation system. All phased projects shall submit a plan demonstrating that dust will not be generated from future phase areas.
(C) Plan review. The City Engineer or Building Official will be responsible for the review and approval of the dust prevention and control plan. This plan shall be incorporated into the grading plan and constructive notice shall be placed on the grading plan to notify the owner and contractors of the need to comply with the dust prevention and control plan.
(D) Dust control compliance statement. A dust control compliance statement form must be completed and signed by the property owner.
(E) Inadequate dust prevention and control measures. If an investigation of the project site indicates that dust prevention and control measures are inadequate, the City Engineer or Building Official may limit or halt all activities on the site until adequate dust prevention and control measures are achieved. The City Engineer or Building Official may charge the property owner and/or contractor for reasonable costs related to providing the necessary site inspections to determine the adequacy of the dust control plan.
(F) Notice of inadequate prevention and control measures. If it is determined that a property in violation of § 16.99.030, the City Engineer or Building Official may deliver the property owner or contractor a written notice of violation, and the property owner or contractor will then have 24 hours to bring the site into compliance. If after 24 hours, the site is not brought into compliance or an extension of time has not been granted by the City Engineer or Building Official, the violation may be prosecuted by the City Attorney as a misdemeanor violation of the Municipal Code.
(G) Responsibility for adequate dust prevention and control. The approval of a dust prevention and control plan does not relieve the owner or contractors of the responsibility to implement whatever additional measures may be required to properly prevent and control dust as required by § 16.99.060.
(H) NPDES Stormwater Regulations. The dust prevention and control plan and any additional measures that may be necessary for the adequate prevention and control of dust must comply with all applicable NPDES Stormwater Regulations.
(Ord. 1103, passed 3-7-05)