“We all need to look at waste. It is an environmental more than a greenkeeping issue and there can be no excuses for it.”


renewed in five years because of ring-fencing of the supply. They would do better to research collecting grey water.” Protecting water supplies earmarked for domestic use is designed to ensure that everyone has enough to drink but is also aimed at encouraging clubs to recycle. “Recycling will be the only way to save money over the next decade and beyond - that and collection of grey water will pay for themselves many times over in the coming years,” Jinks believes. There is another key


process - of particular concern for local authority run clubs - that has to occur before recycling becomes the rule rather than the exception, as Jinks explains. “Local authorities have large maintenance budgets but little money to invest. This has resulted in clubs using a confusing and often inefficient mish-mash of irrigation systems, even on the same green. Many systems date back to the 1970s. Modern theories of water application - that it should proceed at precipitation rates - were still a long way off, and water was applied in measures of time.” “This method is difficult to work with, especially now, as the systems have been updated inconsistently, leaving many sprinklers with a variety of different heads across greens. Applied over, say, ten minutes, with all the applicators sprinkling different amounts, you’ve got an inconsistent application.” “The result is


overwatering in some areas and underwatering in others” says Jinks, “with little regard for what the turf actually requires.” “You need to water at the


precipitation rate to maintain the turf just at water holding capacity. To do this, the


evapotranspiration rate needs to be established,


which can be done from the local meteorological centre, then top up the turf accordingly.”


The only way to achieve efficiency, and to stay on the right side of the local water authority, is to apply a uniform amount of water to greens, on a millimetre per hour basis. “Club managers, for example, will need records of all this activity when they come to apply for, say, a borehole licence. Local authorities insist on efficiency.”


Becoming water efficient will not be the preserve solely of wealthy clubs, Jinks believes. Most will find a system to suit their budget and their needs. “Facilities could spend around £60,000 - half on a PC-based control centre, which can link directly to the Met Office, and the rest on radio controlled moisture sensors and sprinklers; or they could buy a wall- mounted controller for £2,000 and a weather station for £500. An upgrade of existing sprinklers will bring the spend up to £3,000, and the system will soon earn its money back. And by recycling, facilities are set to save even more energy and money.” “The issue of wasted water and how to reduce the quantity lost from sportsgrounds and clubs is weighing increasingly heavily on managers and groundsmen” says Davey.


“We all need to look at waste. It is an environmental more than a greenkeeping issue and there can be no excuses for it.” “With new technology in place, groundsmen can control individual sprinklers rather than just saturating areas that look like they need it. The new systems are computerised and use accurate electric valve and head sprinklers that deliver a more target load of water. Grounds managers can even use GPS and satellite images to target their turf. As technology improves, so does efficiency.” “Irrigation is an


environmental issue more than domestic use for example, not just because of volume, but also because of where the water goes after use” Davey adds.


“In the home, used water goes to wash down the drain and is returned to the water company. Water used for irrigation evaporates and condenses in a cooler climate. For this reason, there is extensive legislation stating what can and can’t be done. Managers have to consider everything, from by-law compliance to abstraction licences. Again you need to do your homework, particularly after the Water Regulations Act 2003.” “Recycling of water is set to become a major factor in water management strategies, both as a way of


Hydroscape’s water management system


conserving resources and reducing pollution” says Dave Mears, a director of Course Care, one of several companies who specialise is water-recycling equipment and who produce systems designed to be not only efficient but also environmentally sound. “Grounds managers have to observe the Ground Water Regulation Act of December 1998,” he said. “Waste water is not allowed to enter the ground with certain contaminants included in ‘List One,’ that is, oils and hydrocarbons.” “This applies particularly to washing down turfcare equipment,” Mears adds. “Whenever you do this, diesel, petrol, grease and oil will be washed on to the ground. It is your responsibility to ensure that they end up in the right place.”


What then do groundsmen


and greenkeepers need to do to stay within the law? “Until recently, groundsmen might have thought it was acceptable to stand a machine on hard ground and wash it down there,” said Mears. “It isn’t, as this still contaminates and pollutes. Every facility with turf care equipment now requires a dedicated wash- off area, which is either kerbed or slopes into a collection sump or grass / sand trap to remove the grass clippings and dirt etc. from the wash water. The potentially contaminated wash water then passes into either a Class 1 Interceptor or a Closed Loop Recycling Wash-Off System. Tim Earley, Managing


Director of Waste2Water agrees, adding, “Recycling has to be the preferred choice for the majority of maintenance facilities as Interceptors (Oil / Water Separators), which merely separate oils and hydrocarbons from water, are no longer legal if chemicals or a pressure washer are used. An Interceptor does not remove chemicals from water and a


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