Chattahoochee Hills’ 2024 ordinance limits landscape irrigation from new private reclaimed-water systems

Chattahoochee Hills adopted a water-efficiency plumbing amendment on April 2, 2024, that sets fixture flow limits and restricts outdoor irrigation using reclaimed water from new private wastewater-treatment systems. The signed Ordinance 24-04-273 took effect that day.

Under the ordinance, reclaimed water from new private treatment systems may be used for outdoor irrigation only on golf courses and agricultural operations—not other outdoor landscaping. That restriction does not apply to water from existing private reclaimed-water systems or existing or new government-owned reclaimed wastewater-treatment systems.

Qualifying new landscape irrigation systems connected to public water must include rain-sensor shutoffs, master shutoff valves and pressure regulation as needed. Systems other than those serving single-family homes must also have a WaterSense irrigation controller and a flow sensor. Agricultural operations, golf courses and systems dependent on nonpublic water are exempt from the irrigation-efficiency section, which does not require irrigation to be installed.

The fixture table specifies WaterSense-labeled private bathroom faucets at 1.2 gallons per minute and showerheads at 2.0 gallons per minute, measured at 60 and 80 pounds per square inch, respectively. It lists 1.28 gallons per flush for toilets, subject to the ordinance’s exceptions.