The recommended steps to protect the water quality of your golf course and its water features include, but are not limited to, these fast facts and industry tips.
Learn How Your Golf Course’s Water Impacts Your Surrounding Area
Are you curious to know how your golf course impacts the water quality in your surrounding area? If any bodies of water run through your golf course, you can test water quality where the water enters and exits your property. Once you know the water quality running through your course, any necessary corrective measures can be taken.
Maintain Healthy Turf
One of the best ways all golf courses can protect their water quality is by maintaining healthy turf. Healthy turf requires fewer plant protectants and less fertilizer than weak turf. A dense stand of turf is also highly effective at cleansing and filtering water. Likewise, a healthy stand of turf works to reduce surface water runoff, prevent soil erosion and intercept pollutants in your water before it ever reaches groundwater sources.
Dispose of Chemicals Effectively
While this may seem like an obvious note, you might be surprised by how often chemicals are disposed of ineffectively on golf courses. Properly storing, handling and disposing of chemicals is one of the most important jobs of your maintenance facility.
Ensuring that spills are contained is a key component of this, and is best accomplished with a liner like AquaArmor by BTL Liners. This liner is both fish and plant safe, and has high puncture resistance. AquaArmor is the strongest and most UV-resistant pond liner in its industry.
Soil Cultivation and Strategic Fertilizing
You can use soil cultivation techniques like aeration, spiking and slicing to easily improve water infiltration while minimizing runoff during rainfall or irrigation.
Fertilizing in small amounts, also known as “spoon feeding,” can help reduce any potential of fertilizer runoff. If you’re making large fertilizer applications, it’s best to use slow-release fertilizers. When fertilizers or plant protectants are required to be watered directly into the soil, make sure to follow instructions carefully.
No-Spray Zones
Turf areas adjacent to bodies of water should be designated as “limited-spray” and “no-spray” zones. This helps reduce the risk of applied chemicals and plant protectants from entering nearby water sources. It is also critical to clean any equipment in a way that does not allow any chemicals or plant protectants to enter nearby water sources.
Protect Your Wetlands
If there are any wetlands on or adjacent to your golf course, they should be managed as natural areas. This means that their habitat structures and existing hydrology must be fully protected.
It is important to be aware of the municipal, state and federal agencies in place that administer statutes and regulations protecting wetlands. Always look into the requirements in your area. You can work with such agencies to ensure that your wetlands are safe, legal and thriving.
