Water Conservation

New Construction Requirements

As part of the Miami-Dade County Water Use Efficiency Plan, which was adopted in 2006, stakeholders and county departments with the participation from County residents have worked to make improvements in water use efficiencies.

Outdoor water use changes

In May 2009, changes were made to the county's landscape ordinance, affecting new construction. Landscaping must meet regulations that follow Florida Friendly Principles and abide by stricter water-efficiency guidelines for all private property and public rights-of-way. The new changes require:

• The installation of rain switches, such as soil moisture sensors, when irrigation systems are provided;
• At least 30 percent of the landscaping must consist of native plants (and only 30 percent of that can be palms);
• At least 50 percent of plants must be low-maintenance and drought-tolerant;
• At least 80 percent of the plants must be listed in the Miami-Dade Landscape Manual  (32 MB), Miami-Dade Street Tree Master Plan  (5.3 MB) or the University of Florida's Low Maintenance Landscape Plants   for South Florida list. This list is Florida Friendly-based and customized to South Florida by the University of Florida;
• Mulch meeting Florida Friendly Landscaping guidelines must be applied and maintained.

Indoor water use changes

The January 2009 Water-Use Efficiency Standards Manual , developed by the Miami-Dade County Water and Sewer Department (MDWASD), includes an advisory committee's recommendations and new requirements regarding specific water-saving practices for certain industries, as well as low-impact development practices, to achieve maximum water savings in future residential and commercial development.

MDWASD is also reviewing the water use assigned to different land uses listed in Chapter 24, Section 24-43-1 of the Miami-Dade County Code of Ordinances. This information will be included in future updates of the manual.

The "Advisory Committee to Address Water Conservation Issues and Alternative Water Supplies for the Development Community" is a stakeholder group that includes: business, home builders, environmentalists, trade organizations, the landscape irrigation industry, nurseries, farmers, state agencies, County departments and resident participation through a series of public meetings.

For more information, email waterconservation@miamidade.gov or call 786-552-8974.

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