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2 <br />ANALYSIS <br /> <br />Staff is not aware of any cities that have amended their ordinances to allow this product. <br /> <br />Potential benefits of synthetic turf: <br />• No water required for irrigation <br />• No pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers are needed <br />• Less fuel emissions from lawn equipment <br />• Product is made from plastic bottles and “technology created from soybean plants” <br /> <br />Areas of concern: <br />• Staff is not aware of any cities in the area that have amended their ordinances to allow <br />this product. <br />• Hazardous products are released if the product catches fire. <br />• Permeability of synthetic turf may be an issue. Even if the product is 100% permeable, <br />this doesn’t take into account the permeability of the underlying soil. <br />• Evapotranspiration has a cooling effect. Water uptake by plants also contributes to <br />stormwater management. <br />• The product may contribute byproducts to surface and groundwater supplies as it <br />decomposes. The polyurethane and polyurethane that it is made of has hazardous <br />decomposition products. <br />• Use in easement areas and rights-of-way should be prohibited. These areas require <br />access for maintenance of utilities and management of stormwater systems and are <br />frequently disturbed. <br />• Examples of installations provided were for small portions of yards, not whole yards. <br />• Expected life span of the product is 15-20 years. At that time, the material must be <br />removed and landfilled. <br /> <br />Staff does not support widespread use of this material. <br /> <br />Staff recommends that use of synthetic turf, if approved through an ordinance amendment, be <br />limited to small portions of yards and certain applications. For example, patios, playgrounds, <br />and other small areas. Also, the locations allowed should be clearly specified in such a way that <br />no off-site impacts to stormwater management will occur. <br /> <br /> <br />ENVIRONMENTAL DIRECTION <br /> <br />Vote required: Simple majority. <br /> <br />ATTACHMENTS <br /> <br />1. Aerial Photo <br />2. Site Photo <br />3. Landscape System Drawing