New landscape and irrigation specifications and details now available

Sustainability is more than just a concept or a catchphrase; it also is crucial to business and the environment. That is why the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), along with Arizona State University’s Sustainable Cities Network (SCN) Green Infrastructure Workgroup, has significantly updated a portion of the Uniform Standard Specifications and Details for Public Works Construction book.

The sustainability update focuses on the MAG landscape and irrigation specifications and detail drawings. The existing MAG landscape specifications underwent a lengthy review and were updated to reflect current industry standards and best practices. More than 40 local experts from the municipal, landscape, design and academic sectors all contributed their expertise to the project.
 

New guidelines

The updated standards provide a new set of guidelines for public works construction and new opportunities for contractors to create more environmentally-friendly projects. Examples could include salvaging and transplanting native plants or installing water-saving irrigation systems.

Sections dealing with topsoils, landscaping, landscape irrigation, and related materials were all rewritten and expanded. The updated standards provide guidelines for the common types of landscaping seen on any public right-of-way.

The revisions provide a substantial number of new standards that:

• Establish a baseline for action and performance for a variety of everyday activities
• Standardize landscape contracting requirements
• Reduce design and construction administration costs
• Provide a shared resource for local communities

“The updates represent the collective contributions of a broad group of landscape-related individuals and organizations,” said Wayne Colebank, a landscape architect with Logan Simpson and chair of the Landscaping and Irrigation Subgroup. “The updates fill in the gaps and establish the construction requirements for a wider array of activities and improvements.”

The update also includes 45 landscape and irrigation details developed to illustrate the construction process. The new details are grouped into categories such as: 

• Staking and planting natural vegetation
• Hardscape landscaping
• Irrigation system components, including pipes, trenches, valves, emitters, and controls