Gilroy, CA Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)

Gilroy's Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance requires every qualifying irrigation design plan, filed with the landscape documentation package under § 30.38.130, to plan for recycled water even where it is not yet available. Section 30.38.200(a) requires the installation of water irrigation systems to allow for the current and future use of recycled water, meaning purple-pipe stub-outs and compatible plumbing must be designed in even on projects still served by potable irrigation. Subsection (b) requires any recycled water irrigation system actually installed to be designed and operated in compliance with all applicable local and state laws, which for Gilroy means coordination with the city's water utility and California's recycled water regulations.

Subsection (c) treats any landscape irrigated with recycled water as a special landscape area for water budget purposes, and caps its evapotranspiration adjustment factor at 1.0 for new and existing, nonrehabilitated special landscape areas, a looser cap than the standard potable-water landscape budget because recycled water conserves the city's potable supply. The irrigation design plan itself, required by § 30.38.130, must separately identify recycled water irrigation systems, show static water pressure, flow rate and application rate for each station, and carry the signature of a licensed landscape architect, certified irrigation designer or licensed landscape contractor. Decorative water features must also use recycled water as a source where it is available, under § 30.38.120(2)b.