H2O - Water Management Planning for the Future
by John Neylan, AGCSA Tech
High quality golf course turf requires a constant water supply of moderate to good quality, without which there can be no turf (or at the very best a very poor quality turf). There are major pressures on Australia’s water resources and this will ultimately reduce the availability of water for turf. This presents the single greatest threat to golf courses today. Water resource management is a worldwide issue and irrigating golf courses is seen by many as an unnecessary luxury. Among the many issues that turf irrigators need to consider are:
Lack of a consistent water supply.
Potable water no longer available for irrigating turf.
Water quality (salinity, bicarbonates and sodium).
Use of treated effluent as an alternative supply.
Securing alternative water supplies.
Improving control systems.
Upgrading irrigation systems.
In the long term, for golf courses to be ecologically and economically sustainable, they will have to:
Make do with lower quality water sources.
Alter management practices.
Treat the water and soils to offset the detrimental affects of salts, bicarbonates and nutrients.
Introduce more water efficient and salt tolerant turfgrass species.
Have a greater knowledge of water quality and its impact on soils and plants.
Undertake increased soil, water and plant monitoring.
Demonstrate industry best practice in irrigation management.
As the pressure on water supplies increases, golf courses are increasingly being required to demonstrate industry best practice through increased water use efficiency and improved environmental management. This can only be achieved by having a good working knowledge of all aspects of where the water comes from, its application and the off-site effects of runoff and drainage. Developing a Water Management Plan (WMP) provides the necessary information for demonstrating best practice and identifying where improvements can be made. A WMP and more broadly an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) details how resources are managed in a sustainable manner and meet the increasing demands of Environmental and Water Authorities.
The deteriorating quality of water supplies, the increasing use of treated effluent and the reliance on poorer quality water requires golf turfgrass to cope with a range of elements such as salts, sodium, nutrients and bicarbonates. The presence and concentration of these soluble materials, if left unmanaged, will have an adverse effect on soils and turf quality. Water treatment strategies such as acid injection and gypsum dosing will need to be employed, with the use of new turfgrass species, such as Seashore Paspalum, considered. While there are options for utilizing poor quality water, the management of the soil, and in particular the leaching of salts and displacement of sodium, is critical for the long-term sustainability of turfgrass. The introduction of high salt tolerant grasses is seen as a possible panacea for dealing with saline water, however, this will only be one part of a total package involving soil, water and turf management.
The ability to irrigate turf has been essential in providing consistent and high quality playing surfaces, allowing the use of grasses outside their natural zone of adaptation. With pressure on • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
available water supplies, the provision of acceptable golfing surfaces will involve very careful water management planning. Detailed knowledge of the site and regular monitoring of soils, water and plants will be critical in providing consistent quality surfaces. However, golfers will need to lower their expectations if sustainable golf courses are to be provided into the future
