| Growing up in the Midwest, I never gave much thought to water usage and conservation. It rained often and there were plenty of rivers, lakes and wells to provide water at an affordable price. In the 1970s the cost of water at my golf course was never more than $12,000 per year. Since that time, there were several periods of intense golf growth matching our changing demographic as more and more people moved to warmer climates. As population grew, the golf course construction was not far behind. From California to Florida courses were developed and water was a necessity on those properties. Over the years, golf has been criticized for wasting water. The reality is that golf courses are efficient users of this precious resource, and rather than being the problem, golf is a part of the solution to water usage and conservation. Availability. For a variety of reasons it has become much more difficult to get a permit for golf courses, and a part of that is the ability to supply irrigation water. Many regions of the country no longer permit the use of potable water for irrigation. Effluent water, raw water or a blend is often required prior to any new golf course development. It is estimated that approximately one third of California golf courses are using some form of recycled water for irrigation. Likewise, the same would be true or greater for most arid parts of the country. Furthermore, a number of golf courses would love to have access to recycled water, but the infrastructures of their surrounding cities have not caught up with the demand. In fact, it may be years before pipelines reach golf courses and truly recycle the water and allow it to filter back into aquifers. Water availability is not just a factor for warmer and drier areas. In the last several years, there have been drought warnings in Florida, Georgia and parts of the Northeast. Emergency plans have been put into place restricting the amount of water that golf courses can use for irrigation in a number of states. As the U.S. population grows there is more demand to draw water from rivers and lakes. I am sure many readers have seen the pictures of Lake Mead and how the lack of snow pack has affected many states that obtain their water from the Colorado River. The Great Lakes used to supply water for not only the cities along its borders, but shared its water with parched communities many miles inland. Legal battles have ensued over ownership and rights to that water and that is creating challenges for those communities who must now rely on other water sources. Affordability. When your water costs for irrigation are $12,000, it is not a major issue. In California that cost is more likely to average $300,000 per year. One of my clients has a water cost of $600,000 per year with no available alternatives. Due to conditional-use permits, wells are not an option and effluent is not available on that property. As one might imagine, it can ruin any good business plan for a golf facility when the cost of water doubles in a decade. Operational costs expand at a much greater rate than rounds of golf and revenues. It was once believed that recycled water would make irrigation more affordable. Rarely is that the case. In fact, effluent water typically costs close to the same amount as potable water, sometimes more. Quality. As if it weren’t tough enough to get water and then pay for it, we have the issue of water quality. All water is not created equal. Water can contain many components which can adversely affect turfgrass quality. Some of those items include sodium and bicarbonates, which have specific thresholds that can create turf failure. One would believe sodium issues might be specific to the Southwest, but it has been an issue in areas like Chicago. This is because courses often pump from creeks and store water in their lakes for later usage. Spring melting of snow can result in residual salt – to keep roadways free of snow and ice – that eventually gets into courses’ storage ponds. Bicarbonates can be an issue in many states and, over time, will affect turfgrass quality. Many of these water quality issues are detectable with an annual water test. Water quality can be an issue with either effluent or well water and it would not hurt to check potable water, as well. Challenges. The days of plenty of good-quality water at an affordable price are over. This, however, is not new news to many of us. In fact, for decades we have been working on water conservation. Irrigation practices and systems have become much more effective and efficient. Turfgrass research has given us direction as to the best turfgrasses and plant material to conserve water. According to the staffs from several water agencies I have spoken with, superintendents are some of the best water-users. However, superintendents must continue to find ways to conserve water. Several states and regions have imposed mandatory reduction of irrigation water. In the Los Angeles region, courses were required to reduce potable water usage by 20 percent in the last several years. I do not see those restrictions going away in the future. I do see restrictions expanding to more parts of the country, though, and it will be important for golf to embrace that change. This is just one more example of superintendents being a part of the solution. Opportunities. Water conservation may have its challenges, but it also provides a number of opportunities that allow superintendents to shine through doing the right thing. This is good for golf and is necessary to sustain the game and the environment. Several states have established better management practices. These are collaborative efforts with the USGA, universities and local superintendent chapters. Better management practices provide a systematic approach to water usage and crisis management. They allow golf courses to develop a long range plan for things like: • More efficient pumping plants • Cost reduction in pumping through variable speed pumps and off peak usage • Turf reduction • Upgrading nozzles • Irrigation audits • Usage of drought-tolerant turf types • Training of staff and education of irrigators Golf courses are struggling to survive in this economy and water is a critical component that needs to be managed. It is not only about using less water, but also about communicating this message to the golfers at our facilities. Water conservation is a way of life and business for superintendents and it is imperative to the future of the game. During the last decade, I have seen a shift from people thinking water conservation is a penalty to the fact that it is a reality. The bottom line is we can do more with less. GCI Bruce Williams, GCGS, is the principal in Bruce Williams Golf Consulting and Executive Golf Search. He is an author and speaker in the golf industry, a GCSAA past president and a regular contributor to GCI. Reach him at BruceWms1@hotmail.com. SIDEBAR: Reclaimed resources are not always reliable As a record-setting drought wears on, The Naples (Fla.) News reports local golf courses are feeling the pinch. And it’s not just from little rainfall. The city has clamped down on courses’ use of reclaimed water. Recently, Naples utilities managers cut golf courses back to three days a week of reclaimed water, compared to seven days a week for residential customers, in an attempt to keep the city’s reclaimed water system from running dry. When the level of reclaimed water in Naples’ storage tank gets too low, the city closes the valve that delivers reclaimed water to golf courses. Residential customers, though, have faced no limits. According to the report, not only is this the time of year when reclaimed water demand is greatest because it is driest, it’s also the time when there’s less of it to go around. The annual migration of snowbirds back north means fewer people taking showers, flushing toilets and doing laundry — all the things that create reclaimed water. Local superintendents hope to convince the city to change the way it divvies up the scarce resource. But so far, city officials have shown no interest in reconsidering its policies. Cooperation works Thirty-five golf courses obtain some or all of their irrigation water from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). As the supply of water to L.A. was reduced there was the potential for restrictions. Golf course water users met with the LADWP to create a reasonable and effective 20 percent water reduction to all of those facilities. It was a wonderful cooperative venture in which lots of information was exchanged. The outcome allowed the golf industry in that region to achieve our goals and plan for the future. People who set water-usage policies are not always informed of the science behind the water requirements for turfgrass survival. Through information exchange it can be beneficial to share this information so that superintendents can better manage their water. The Los Angeles example is similar to what was seen in Georgia and Florida when local superintendents worked with those water agencies to develop better management practices that resulted in water conservation. |
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