Quenching golf's thirst As more golf courses are built and existing ones expand, water availability, quality and use issues loom ever larger on the industry's horizon. Kay Hawes

Many of the states where golf course development is booming and water issues are broiling are also states where population is gaining. It makes sense. When was the last time you heard of a golf course development proposed for an area that was declining?

What that also means, though, is that those areas feel the pinch even more on their water systems. More people mean more money coming into an area, but they also mean more people washing, flushing and needing clean drinking water.

Those same areas also tend to be places where the sun sucks the water right off the turf, forcing golf courses to use more water. That makes sense too. When was the last time you heard of a retiree or aging baby boomer who was moving to some cold, damp place?

These trends, which seem to be converging upon each other, may change our thinking about national water issues in the near future.

A boom heard 'round the country
As GCM reported in May, the National Golf Foundation's (NGF) recent annual report on golf course development showed near-record construction in both new facilities and expansion of existing facilities. The report also pointed to the likelihood that the current construction boom will continue into the next few years and beyond.

The total number of courses under development, including those in planning and those in construction, exceeds 2,000. Compare, for example, this year's 442 new courses to the pre-1987 average of 150.

While the industry is pleased to welcome new golf facilities -- the more golf courses, the more jobs for superintendents, after all -- the growth raises some questions. How are they going to water those courses? What about new courses in areas that are experiencing residential growth? What does golf's continued growth mean for all courses in areas facing water issues? What does the growth of water issues mean for everyone in the industry?

When we think of water issues, we often think of states where the subject has made headlines -- Arizona, California, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada or Texas. But water issues also have surfaced in nonarid climes like Florida and Georgia.

Golf course development is booming in many areas where water availability, quality and use are issues. In fact, Florida, California and Texas were among NGF's top 10 states in golf course openings with 31, 27 and 21 new courses, respectively. New golf facilities and expansions of existing facilities were built even in states like Arizona (9) and Nevada (6), where water availability is a public hot button and new courses are often required to meet stringent regulations.

Population figures are also booming in these same states. The Census Bureau reports that Florida, California, Texas and Georgia will be the country's top population-gainers by the year 2000. Last year, Nevada was the country's fastest-growing state for the second year in a row. Other top growth states in 1996 were Arizona, Colorado, Georgia and Texas.

Many of these leaders in population growth and golf course development are areas where water is an issue and turf is naturally thirsty. It should come as no surprise that they are the states where golf courses must use more water.

A recent Irrigation Association (IA) breakdown of golf course water use by state showed that the most water was used where the most water issues exist: Florida, California, Texas and Arizona. In Florida, more than 1,000 courses use a total of 137 billion gallons a year. In California, 883 courses use around 90 billion gallons. Texas' 780 courses consume 56 billion gallons and Arizona's 259 courses swallow 28 billion gallons.

The future is here
GCM has published numerous articles about water shortages and water rationing caused by regional droughts, as have other industry publications. Courses in desert regions get their share of attention, too, with coverage of the growing use of effluent (also known as reclaimed or recycled wastewater) and the challenges it brings.

But it may not be that long before the industry faces similar situations in other parts of the country, and not just in times of drought. Even courses in areas with plenty of rainfall and adequate water supplies most of the time can find themselves slapped with restrictions if potable supplies face unexpected danger.

A quick glance through water industry publications provides a look at localized restrictions all over the nation following a contamination of some type. Water supplies can be polluted by everything from raw sewage, to oil tanker leakage, to mining operations, to hog waste lagoons. Industrial waste leaks, aging metropolitan water facilities, inadequate infrastructure for water delivery, as well as high concentrations of minerals, bacteria or even mercury, can throw water supply plans out the window.

A city's aging infrastructure and local demand outpacing supply at peak times is what brought John Wright, CGCS and director of maintenance for Reflection Ridge Golf Corp. in Wichita, Kan., into the water fray a few years ago. A 12-year member of GCSAA, he cautions other superintendents to be prepared for water problems that will eventually come their way.

"Even if they don't have a problem right now, some day it will be a problem," Wright says. "Here, for years people talked about how water would be a problem in the future. Then, suddenly the future was now."

Wright points to statistics that report the minuscule percentage of potable drinking water in the world. It's estimated by several sources that less than 1 percent of the world's water is suitable for drinking. And that water is going to be more precious as demand increases.

"Potable water will be harder to get, and as time goes by, it will also be more expensive," says Robert Renner, deputy executive director of the American Water Works Association (AWWA). Based in Denver, AWWA is the largest association of drinking water supply professionals in the world.

"Long-term, water availability all around the country will be an issue," Renner adds, noting that if treatment plants are required to use certain technologies, like membrane filtering or reverse osmosis, user costs will rise.

Water supply officials also must deal with other issues, some of them mandated by law, like ensuring adequate supplies in rivers for endangered species survival. "In the future, there are going to be more and more interests trying to get the same water resources," Renner says.

In addition, research published by the United Nations states that demands on water resources for household, commercial, industrial and agricultural purposes are increasing greatly and the situation is exacerbated by growing urbanization.

One area that is growing by leaps and bounds while its water supply is not is Las Vegas, Nev. Dale Devitt, Ph.D., associate professor of soil and water at the University of Reno on the UNLV campus, says water management experts are looking at ways we use water and how it can be saved.

Las Vegas relies upon Colorado River water, and its current agreement allows them to withdraw 300,000 acre-feet of water from the river each year. Because the population of Clark County, the area surrounding Las Vegas, is growing by 6,000 persons a month, local scientists predict the area will meet or exceed its allocation of water by the year 2008, a mere 11 years away. In addition to seeking a renegotiation of the water agreement with the federal government, the city is also looking at constructing plants to convert wastewater.

The Environmental Protection Agency reports that most cities have already fully exploited their readily available water resources and are now obliged to treat and develop sources of lower quality or go long distances to develop new supplies, both of which are costly options.

According to a report published by NGF in 1992, water supply is the issue that threatens the most widespread restriction of new course construction. In areas such as Colorado and Arizona, the report says, access to water can determine whether or not a course is built.

The oil of the future
"Water is the big issue for this game. It's a big issue for this industry, and it's only going to get bigger," Wright says. "Water is the environment. Without it we have no environment. I think superintendents need to be leaders in this industry because water will be everything -- it will be the oil of the future."

When we talk about "more" or "less" water, we're not talking about the total amount available. We're talking about the amount of usable water we have access to when we need it. The amount of water the world has is not going to change. Water can neither be created nor destroyed. And through it's use, water is constantly and irreversibly being changed. Each time we use or treat water, we change it. Some changes are for the better, some are for the worse. We can always clean it, but we can't return it to its previous state.

The worldwide growth in water demand is doubling every 21 years and output from water supplies will be unable to keep up with that demand, reports U.S. Water News, a publication of the Freshwater Foundation, a nonprofit organization working to increase awareness of complex water issues. Areas of the world known more for unrest than other topics will be embroiled in the struggle over clean drinking water as water issues take stage in the Middle East and across the world.

"It would be an understatement to say that the next quarter century will be extremely interesting from a water management standpoint," says U.S. Water News publisher Thomas Bell. "Water supply professionals will be pressed to find workable solutions to water supply problems around the world."

Does that mean we should just throw up our hands in despair now? No. What we may need to do is think proactively instead of reactively and work on relationships with water officials now rather than later.

Local rules apply
Wright has found that developing a good working relationship with water officials in his community has opened doors for the future while providing a boon for the image of golf course superintendents in his area.

Superintendents in Wichita formed a task force a few years ago to study the water issue. They set about researching effluent options, water-use rates, water requirements and times of use requirements.

"By working with the city, we were able to get water contracts based on a five-year water conservation plan," Wright says. "We have to save up to 20 percent over a five-year period. It's a real challenge, but it's manageable."

Extra savings superintendents realize over one relatively good year apply to the next year if the weather turns dry. Wright is planning to negotiate with the city to allow superintendents to "bank" their conservation efforts for the next couple of years in case things turn dry a while after the year with surplus savings. He says he expects water officials to lend a sympathetic ear, in part because area superintendents have demonstrated that they're informed about water use and concerned about water supplies.

"We have been studying these issues for 30 years and we are conservationists. I was able to prove that in a city council meeting," says Wright, who told officials about water conservation measures, water-use rates and evapotranspiration.

"We came up with many ways to save water," he says, noting that superintendents in his area were already taking many measures to conserve, like converting to bermudagrass, updating their systems with computers and applying water based on evapotranspiration information.

"We are high users at times," Wright says. "But we're not wasters."

Water issues are image issues
In times of water shortages, the nongolfing public has pointed to golf courses and accused them of being wasters. Dealing with this frequent and inaccurate criticism is an important part of dealing with water issues.

"People are interested in water consumption. They are much more cognizant of water use now than ever before," says Jan Beljan, an associate with Fazio Golf Course Designers. "Nongolfers often think that the golf course sucks up too much water because that's where they see sprinklers running. They don't realize that with the kind of products that are available now, with low-volume heads and other technological advances, superintendents are using water, but it's wisely used."

Superintendents are making progress on the public's perception of golf course water use, but there's still a way to go.

Nearly 90 percent of golfers surveyed in 1990 by NGF believe golf courses are good for the environment. However, more than 40 percent of them thought that golf courses use too much water. As the industry has worked to promote responsible water use and to educate golfers about superintendents' conservation efforts, attitudes have changed.

A 1996 study commissioned by GCSAA and prepared by NGF showed improvement in golfers' perceptions about golf course water use. In this study, based on data gathered in 1995, 24 percent of golfers surveyed thought golf courses use too much water.

When water supplies are tight, superintendents may find themselves standing before a city council or municipal water district. Some people see golf as a low-priority consumptive use rather than as a vital contributor to the area's economy.

Educating the public about the conservation practices they use, the realities of the golf course industry's use of water relative to other uses and the economic benefit of the golf course will probably be a frequent task for superintendents in the future.

"Even in areas where plenty of water exists, the golf course industry will be scrutinized for its potential impact on water supplies and the environment," says Ali Harivandi, Ph.D., turfgrass specialist at the University of California Cooperative Extension in Hayward, Calif.

Water use as it relates to image is not confined to new courses or to courses in the desert Southwest. It's become a hot topic that superintendents all across the country are interested in, Harivandi says. He notes that the seminar he teaches for GCSAA, "Reclaimed Water Irrigation," has sold out for several years, and the attendees are no longer just from desert states.

"This year, we had 30 different states represented," he says. "Water has become the big environmental issue."

Michael Kenna, Ph.D., director of research for USGA, agrees with Harivandi.

"Superintendents can't stick their head in the sand and say 'I live in Minnesota and I have plenty of water' anymore," he says. "It's going to get to the point where water is an issue everywhere. And, it's not just water availability, it's also going to be water quality."

A drop in the bucket
One important fact savvy superintendents point out in times of water-use restrictions is that, compared with other types of irrigation, golf courses are only a drop in the bucket. The Irrigation Association estimates that roughly 15,000 golf courses in the United States comprise 1.3 million irrigated acres using less than 2 million (1.93) acre-feet of water (or 627 billion gallons) each year.

The IA also estimates that more than 20 million acres of residential and commercial landscape are irrigated today, consuming approximately 20 million acre-feet of water a year.

The IA report says surface lakes and rivers are the primary sources of water for golf course irrigation, providing 40 to 55 percent. Wells are the next most common source of water for golf course irrigation at 25 to 30 percent, and potable water is next at 7 to 15 percent.

Soon the association will be able to report statistics for effluent irrigation on golf courses, as well. Laura Dorsey, director of communications for IA, says results of a survey on effluent use will be published by the end of the year.

Golf courses are part of the solution
Kenna points out that the golf course industry has been studying this issue since a symposium to respond to drought in the late 1970s, and many solutions have emerged over the ensuing years.

"We have studied water-usage rates of turfgrass species on golf courses, looking at how much water our species use," he says. "We have studied cultural practices to reduce water use -- things like aerification and mowing. And we are looking at individual varieties within a species to see if some of them use less water."

Other projects include looking at warm-season grasses and trying to improve their cold-stress survival to give superintendents in transition zones more tools. Kenna says the industry has also looked at improving native species that use less water, like buffalograss, or have a good tolerance to salinity found in some reclaimed water, like seashore paspalum.

Using reclaimed water for irrigation has seen its share of study, as well. In 1994, USGA sponsored "Wastewater Reuse for Golf Course Irrigation," a book written with the cooperation of GCSAA, NGF, the American Society of Golf Course Architects and the Golf Course Builders Association of America. The publication explored the option effluent offers and the challenges it presents.

"There was a lot of good research in that book and using effluent went from being a concept to a real practice," Kenna says. "It's not perfect, but it's much better than no water at all."

Harivandi says that using reclaimed water may help both new and existing golf courses deal with community water quality issues of both limited potable supplies and wastewater disposal.

"In some parts of the country, we are building in areas where people are moving to and where we have a large golfing population. We are also building in areas where water is not readily available," he says.

"In the rest of the country, municipalities will be under pressure to find ways to deal with this wastewater without letting it run into creeks and streams. Pressure will be on society as a whole to deal with it. I will not be surprised to see legislation (requiring courses to accept effluent) even in areas where people are not concerned about water shortages."

Golf courses are good places to put reclaimed water to use, Harivandi adds, noting that compared with other landscapes, golf courses offer the greatest ability to cleanse water.

"Grasses have an extensive, fibrous root system that can act as a filter," he says. "Other plants do not have such a system. Water that passes through the root zone is much cleaner than it would be if it had been watered around a tree, for example."

And as Chuck Gast, CGCS at Jupiter Hills Club in Tequesta, Fla., notes, golf courses can get some benefit from the nitrogen and phosphorous in the reclaimed water. A monthly report from his local water district lets him know daily use as well as daily nitrogen and phosphorous levels, all of which he monitors.

"It has been a great water source for us, and we have very few problems with it," says the 20-year GCSAA member. "The Loxahatchee River District does an excellent job of providing us with excellent secondary-treated, irrigation-quality water."

Jupiter Hills Club was required to switch over to reclaimed water -- and pay for it -- in the mid-1980s. Before the switch the club used wells throughout the property. The reclaimed water has actually provided the course with more options.

"During my tenure here it has been very well accepted by the members," Gast says. "They realize that it's an environmentally good thing to do, and it lets us use the amount of water we require."

Gast adds that reclaimed water also guarantees his course will have the water it needs, while also providing a benefit to the community.

"The golf course acts as a big filter. The effluent that's applied on the surface filters through the turf and cleans itself," he says. "As a person living here in Florida, I'd rather see the water used that way. I feel more comfortable with that. It just doesn't make sense to pump it into deep wells and hope it cleans itself by the time it comes back up."

The future is now
As environmentalists, superintendents are concerned about the availability of drinking water for the future, as well as the availability of water for their courses.

"It's our community, too," Wright says. "And we want to help conserve and preserve our community, whether it's in California or Kansas."

Practicing conservation, working with water officials, using reclaimed water if possible and educating the public about the role of golf courses in their area's economy are ways superintendents can meet the challenges water issues will bring. Working to conserve water and working to have a great course can go hand-in-hand.

Paul McGinnis, CGCS at Moon Valley Country Club in Phoenix, Ariz., and president of GCSAA, says superintendents might be pleasantly surprised by the results of added water-conservation efforts.

"In our experience, we found that we could maintain our course in good condition with less water," McGinnis says. "We cut our water down by almost a third, and there was nothing bad about it. When we started using less, our turf was better and our playability was better."

McGinnis has spent his 24-year career in water-weary Arizona and thus is no stranger to the controversy, which courses there have had to deal with for the past decade. He encourages superintendents to get involved at the local level, where the decisions are made.

McGinnis recalls that when water use became an issue in his area, he was appointed to the advisory council to the local water resources board.

"Superintendents were involved, along with professors from the University of Arizona, in the groundwork and the planning," he says. The interaction paid off when water officials began suggesting practices that weren't feasible from the superintendents' point of view, such as flood irrigation.

McGinnis encourages superintendents to open lines of communication with their water officials. "They better be getting input from somebody in the industry," he says. "Or they might make some laws that you can't live by."

McGinnis also encourages superintendents to practice responsible water use, such as knowing their turf needs, knowing their ET rates and what their individual sprinkler heads can put down so they can replenish only what's needed. They also should be looking for areas that can be returned to natural areas, as well as areas where using less will not affect playability.

Those sentiments are echoed by Harivandi, who says golf course superintendents who use only what they need, think proactively about their water issues and help offer solutions to their community will be the ones who make a difference.

"These problems are not going to go away. They are societal problems," Harivandi says. "But I feel very optimistic in this area. The turfgrass industry can do a lot of good. It will take intelligent turfgrass management. If you use your brain and try to do everything as efficiently as possible, and if you can grow a good stand of grass while being good for the environment, nobody can ever criticize you."

References

Kay Hawes is associate editor of GCM.