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YOUR WATER
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The value of groundwater
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About 75 percent of U.S. cities use groundwater as a source of water, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. GCM file photo |
What comes to mind when you hear or see the term “groundwater?” Groundwater shouldn’t be something that is “out of sight, out of mind,” and it isn’t for most superintendents.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, around 50 percent of Americans get their drinking water from groundwater and approximately 75 percent of our cities use groundwater as a source for water. According to GCSAA’s Golf Course Environmental Profile, approximately 46 percent of average 18-hole golf facilities use wells as one source for irrigation. In addition to irrigation, superintendents incorporate best management practices within golf course operations that conserve and protect surface and groundwater.
Among that 46 percent is Salina (Kan.) Country Club, where CGCS Mike Hulteen’s efforts to protect the groundwater his facility relies on are being featured in the case study “Salina Country Club and the Groundwater Guardian Green Site program,” which is being featured within the Green Links section on The Environmental Institute for Golf’s Web site at www.eifg.org.
“In April of 2008 the Salina Country Club was recognized for its groundwater stewardship through designation as a Groundwater Guardian Green Site by the Groundwater Foundation,” writes Jennifer Wemhoff, program manager at the Groundwater Foundation, in the case study. “The Groundwater Guardian Green Site program recognizes the groundwater and environmental stewardship of highly managed green spaces like golf courses by encouraging sites to implement, measure and document their groundwater-friendly practices.”
Education, implementation and recognition are focal points for this program. According to Wemhoff, “Designation as a Groundwater Guardian Green Site is based on the completion of an application and earning at least 70 percent of total applicable points based on current practices related to pesticide and fertilizer use, water use, managing sources of pollution, protecting water quality and environmental stewardship.”
Bill Bieck, CGCS at Heritage Hills Golf Course in McCook, Neb., also participates in the Groundwater Guardian Green Site program.
“A simple application is required to collect data and document the environmental impact such as pounds of fertilizer saved by using lower input plants, gallons of water saved by using low water/ maintenance plant materials, and amounts of toxic substances, such as tires and oils, disposed of properly,” he says. “The application itself serves dual purposes: first as a way to objectively and uniformly evaluate each site’s practices, and second as an educational tool for site managers and staff to learn about the positive impact of the work they do.”
Participation with the Groundwater Foundation program and others like Audubon International and the Michigan Turfgrass Environmental Stewardship Program is important. They help with environmental sustainability and provide important recognition for golf’s environmental stewardship within communities and across the nation.
Superintendents like Hulteen and Bieck recognize the importance of protecting groundwater as well as telling their community about their environmental stewardship efforts. Having a Groundwater Guardian Green Site sign posted up at the golf course helps to inform their golfers and guests about their efforts.
The Washington Department of Ecology has awarded more than $1 million to Washington State University and the city of Pullman to improve water resources in the region. The city and the university will use the grant money on a project to reclaim and reuse treated water. The university project includes improving the wetlands that border a newly expanded university golf course and improving the vegetation and habitat around the river near the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The city and the university applied for the grant through a watershed planning unit to work with local and state government to improve the watershed’s water quality and supply. Using reclaimed water on your course? Most courses that recycle water are required to label all visible irrigation system components with purple tape, tags or paint to indicate that the water is recycled. Also, monitor your water closely for several compounds present in reused water, including sodium, chlorine, chloride, carbonate and bicarbonate.
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