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HomeMy WebLinkAbout19E - MEDIAN TREE IRRIGATION PLAN1 REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: DECEMBER 5, 2017 TITLE: RECEIVE AND FILE STREET MEDIAN TREE IRRIGATION PLAN (STRATEGIC PLAN NO. 5,2) Cl�t MANAGER RECOMMENDED ACTION Receive and File. DISCUSSION CLERK OF COUNCIL USE ONLY: APPROVED ❑ As Recommended ❑ As Amended ❑ Ordinance on 151 Reading ❑ Ordinance on 2nd Reading ❑ Implementing Resolution ❑ Set Public Hearing For CONTINUED TO FILE NUMBER The California Governor's prohibition on continued irrigation of ornamental grass in public street medians inadvertently affected median trees. City staff immediately took measures to ensure that the median trees would survive the California drought. Over the last two years, staff has been manually watering median trees using a water tank and water soil injections. However, now that the ornamental grass has withered, staff may instead use the existing irrigation systems to water the trees as the primary target of the irrigation. Below is a summary of how irrigation will be performed for median trees to provide short-term relief. Long-term solutions will also be established, but that will require a comprehensive plan developed by an arborist, in consultation and engagement by our Environmental and Transportation Advisory Committee (ETAC): 1. Resume irrigation for median trees utilizing existing sprinkler irrigation system at median locations where trees exist. No additional funding will be required. 2. Reallocate up to $100,000 of funding from existing median tree and landscape maintenance operations to cover the cost of a demonstration pilot project which will convert existing median irrigation systems to an exclusive tree watering system. The demonstration project may be selected in consultation with ETAC. 3. Engage an arborist to assess the health of the City's median trees, and present those findings to ETAC so that the City may develop holistic, long-term, cost-effective solutions. After development of a long-term plan and review by ETAC, the comprehensive plan will be reported and presented to the City Council. The report will include statistics on the City's urban 19E-1 Street Median Tree Irrigation Plan December 5, 2017 Page 2 forest, indicators to help monitor the health of trees in medians, and follow-up plans to review tree care implementation related to median trees. However, immediate steps to automatically water trees will not only benefit trees, but it will also provide a cost-effective alternative. As the new Public Works Agency budget for FY 2018-19 is developed, funding will be identified to support the long-term needs. Staff anticipates that a report for City Council consideration will be ready in spring 2018. BACKGROUND The Public Works Agency manages the City's extensive municipal urban forest of nearly 49,000 street trees providing an expansive canopy, and coordinates the planting, care and pro -active pruning cycle of more than 200 species based on the International Society of Arborist standards. As a result of Santa Ana's high level program, it has been designated Tree City USA for 17 consecutive years by the Arbor Day Foundation, which provides benefits to our community in recognition and assistance in establishing a framework for a healthy tree program. Healthy urban forests reduce energy costs, build stronger ties in neighborhoods, and can boost property values from 7 percent to 20 percent, according to the Arbor Day Foundation. Recognizing these benefits, the City has placed great importance on maintaining healthy City trees, even while faced with the additional challenges during the past six years of California's record drought conditions, similar to all cities across the state. Coupled with the drought, the record high temperatures in recent years have also increased tree demands for water and added considerable stress, making trees more susceptible to disease and insects that damage and potentially kill them. Staff has endeavored to mitigate the negative impacts of the drought, record heat, infestation, and tree impacts associated with the prohibition of watering medians. On June 2, 2015, in response to the Governor of California's Executive Order B-29-15 prohibiting irrigation of public street median ornamental turf (grass) with potable water, City Council directed staff to discontinue all irrigation of city medians. This Council direction still remains in effect. Given that both the grass and trees in the city medians are watered by the same irrigation system, Public Works Agency staff reassigned other public service operations to manually water median trees on a weekly basis in order to maintain tree health. In compliance with the state prohibition, staff has continued to focus on watering median trees. Surrounding median grass was still alive through the summer of 2017; however, the majority of that grass has now withered or died. Staff has consulted with the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) on ongoing compliance and solutions. Currently no exemptions or waivers exist for irrigation of median grass with potable water when grass is the primary landscape feature. However, the SWRCB has recently started allowing the irrigation and preservation of median trees and is now collaborating with cities on mitigation efforts to water trees when they are the primary landscape feature. 19E-2 Street Median Tree Irrigation Plan December 5, 2017 Page 3 Successful urban forests develop over many years, with effective strategies, advanced maintenance techniques, and professional staff. Each of these has contributed to maintaining a beautiful urban forest canopy in the City of Santa Ana; one that brings economic, environmental and social value to the community. STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT This item supports the City's efforts to meet Goal #5 — Community Health, Livability, Engagement & Sustainability; Objective #2 (expand opportunities for conservation and environmental sustainability). FISCAL IMPACT There is no fiscal impact associated with this Council action. �YL F red Mousavipo r Executive Director Public Works Agency FM/EWG/PG/DM 19E-3 19E-4