U.S. Water News Online
PHOENIX -- The sprays of treated water that bring the lush fairways to life could be the next flash point for those who draw their livelihood from golf in Arizona.
Many of the challenges facing the industry are similar to those facing the golf industry throughout the nation. But one of the biggest is unique to the rain-starved, fast-growing Southwest.
"Drought is the No. 1 concern right now," said Shawn Connors, president of the state's Golf Industry Association.
The industry says it uses about 5 percent of the state's water but generates at least $1 billion annually in economic impact.
If the drought continues, course operators will have to reduce water use, and they know they're perceived as a low priority behind allocations for homes, health and safety. They also know that state growth and more demand for water threaten their water share and costs. And they fear that even the wastewater they use for much of their irrigation could become harder to get as other industries compete for it.
"It's simply a matter of when, not if, that (water) becomes a crisis mode," Connors told Golf Industry Association members at their annual meeting.
Course operators have drawn high marks for innovative water use, and draw praise from the governor's office for their practices while mostly avoiding the ire of environmental groups. They say they continue to research ways to improve.
But as water policies tighten, changes -- including less overseeding by some courses in the winter -- appear inevitable, even if the public apparently does not perceive the industry as a water hog.
"It's not the call we get; it's not the letter we get," Stephanie Sklar, executive director of the 4,000-member Arizona League of Conservation Voters, said of golf-course complaints. "I think that maybe that is a testament to the industry, and they probably have been fairly careful stewards. They're probably far from the worst culprits when it comes to squandering Arizona's water."
Phoenix municipal courses did not overseed fairways this winter for the third straight year because of water concerns, and course superintendents say they expect to see more Phoenix area courses follow suit. Tom Patrick, vice president of SunCor Golf, which manages seven Arizona courses, thinks that would be a big mistake.
"As important as golf is here, it would be devastating from a revenue standpoint," he said. "With the amount of water we have, overseeding should not even be an issue, now or anytime soon."
If courses were to cut water use further, it likely could show up in summer, rather than winter when courses charge their highest rates and make the most money, Connors said.
"Of all the industries, they probably do the most to be efficient ... but they are very visible," said Mark Frank, director of Arizona Department of Water Resources' Phoenix Active Management Area, which includes most of the state's courses.
Frank expects they'll become more efficient in the future, "if for no other reason than to have a good public image and to save water and to save money."
Industry representatives say they're responsible with water and use comparatively little for the return they generate in tourism, jobs and taxes.
They're using more wastewater, using and supporting development of more drought- and salt-tolerant grasses, moving to more efficient and sophisticated irrigation equipment, and participating in the governor's drought task force.
With the help of science and technology, they say they want to become better water stewards. In turn, they seek to save money, have a voice in state water decisions and defend against unwarranted supply cuts.
The industry says its $1 billion economic impact is significant against its 5 percent water use -- which state water officials say might be 1 or 2 percentage points higher. Agriculture uses about 70 percent for a $6 billion to $7 billion return.
"We need to communicate our business to the public," the Golf Industry Association's Connors told members. "This is critical to our success as an industry."
Jeff Bollig, spokesman for the Lawrence, Kan.-based Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, said the No. 1 reason avid golfers choose a course is for its playing conditions, followed by its service and amenities.
In other words, good, green turf brings golfers. And in an economy so dependent on tourism, turf quality isn't something courses want to compromise.
Don Steuter, conservation chairman for the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club, said courses had nowhere to go but up in water conservation.
The chapter wants to ensure that when courses are built, they incorporate wildlife habitat wherever possible.
Jay Pennypacker, president of Platinum Golf Properties, said courses have ample financial incentive to be prudent. Water costs at Eagle Mountain, which tries to use about half effluent and half water fit to drink, are about $275,000 annually, excluding pumping costs, he said. While effluent costs slightly less than potable water, it's a Catch-22, he said.
"It's actually more difficult to maintain quality turf," he said, noting that effluent is high in damaging salts which have to be neutralized with calcium and flushed largely with potable water.
For course superintendents like Eagle Mountain's Joe Miller, a course is a balancing act of testing and managing soil and water.
"The soil is a living organism" he said, and needs to be fed a healthy, balanced diet.
Courses also are using more organic materials to fertilize their grass, which helps buffer the salt content from effluent and build up the soil with nutrients, Miller said.
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