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Flagstaff water commission recommends sweeping water-conservation changes — turf, fountains and large-lake fills targeted
Summary
The commission voted to recommend revisions to the city's water-conservation ordinance to prohibit irrigation of nonfunctional turf, ban decorative spray/fountain use of potable or reclaimed water, limit large artificial-lake fills and formalize athletic-field exemptions. The item will go to City Council; staff will seek legal review where court orders (e.g., Lake Elaine) may conflict.
The Flagstaff City Water Commission on March 19 voted to recommend a set of changes to the city's water-conservation ordinance that would tighten rules for reclaimed and potable water use and update enforcement.
Tamara, the water conservation program manager, walked commissioners through the main changes. Reclaimed-water users would be subject to a May–September irrigation window restriction (no irrigation between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. during those months). Homeowners associations would no longer be allowed to require turf or to prohibit water-efficient landscaping, and HOAs would have 12 months to update CC&Rs or standards to comply.
The draft would prohibit irrigation of "nonfunctional turf" — ornamental turf used solely for aesthetics (medians, roundabouts, street verge areas) — and would bar potable or reclaimed water from filling artificial lakes with a surface area greater than 600 square feet unless the lake was continuously maintained prior to the ordinance revision. Commissioners noted that such a restriction could affect Lake Elaine and staff said legal review will be needed because past litigation and settlement language may impose different obligations.
The proposal would also disallow spraying potable or reclaimed water into the air for decorative or aesthetic outdoor uses (for example, large ornamental fountains), while explicitly exempting recreational uses such as splash pads for children. Parks, schools and other entities with operational needs for athletic fields could seek a formal exemption by submitting a conservation plan and demonstrating operational and leak-control measures; staff indicated many municipalities use similar exemption processes for high-use recreational turf.
Tamara also recommended administrative changes to enforcement: fines would continue to escalate for repeat violations, and the draft adds an 18-month rolling period before a user's fine history is reset.
After discussion, a commissioner moved and Don Bills seconded a motion to forward the draft ordinance changes to City Council; the Chair called the vote and commissioners voiced their support. Staff will take the commission’s recommendation to the Planning & Zoning public hearing and to City Council and will consult the city attorney on potential conflicts with existing court orders (for example, matters raised by a Continental representative regarding Lake Elaine).
