Research Cover Articles Story
Water Quality Monitoring on Virginia Golf Courses
Virginia Tech Researchers: Erik Ervin, Ph.D., Professor of Turfgrass Culture & Physiology, Crop & Soil Environmental Sciences Dept.; Stephen Schoenholtz, Ph.D., Professor and Director of the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, Dept. of Forest Resources & Environmental Conservation; Chantel Wilson, Ph.D. Candidate, Crop & Soil Environmental Sciences Dept.; and Mike Goatley Jr., Ph.D., Extension Turfgrass Specialist and Professor, Crop & Soil Environmental Sciences Dept. Research Sponsors: Virginia Golf Course Superintendents Association (VGCSA), GCSAA’s Environmental Institute for Golf, Virginia Turfgrass Foundation and Virginia Agricultural Council
With
the VGCSA’s recent publication of “Environmental Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Virginia’s Golf Courses,” we have begun the ground-truthing and implementation phases of this project. Widespread implementation of BMPs by golf courses is expected to conserve water and reduce environmental impacts, including lower nutrient loading to waterways from stormwater runoff, decreased pesticide usage and less potential for contamination of surface and groundwaters. Implementation of the published BMPs by Virginia golf courses will help achieve Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) goals established by the EPA for protection of the Chesapeake Bay. An important component of documenting the effectiveness of these guidelines will be groundtruthing through rigorous monitoring of water-quality parameters, both before and after implementation of BMPs. Six Virginia golf courses located within the watershed have been selected as test sites, with sample locations identified to monitor water quality (primarily nitrate and phosphate) flowing into and out of each golf course. One year (2011) of monitoring has been completed, and we have received national and state GCSA support to continue the project.
Results for 2011
Two golf courses (D and F) had average NO3 levels greater than 1 ppm in exiting streams in 2011. However, these levels were far below the EPA drinking water quality standard of 10 ppm. Based on these slightly elevated levels, implementation of more rigorous BMP practices along these two streams will be considered for 2012. Only course A had PO4 levels above the EPA suggested limit of 0.05 ppm. Thus, our 2012 focus for course A will be on implementation of BMPs to achieve slight reductions in phosphorus runoff. c
Average (over four monitoring months) nitrate and phosphate concentrations found in streams flowing into and out of six bay watershed golf courses are listed in Table 1. Nitrate (NO3) and phosphate (PO4) are the nutrients of concern in terms of causing algal blooms, oxygen deprivation and subsequent health decline of aquatic organisms (i.e., eutrophication). NO3 levels of 1 ppm or greater are an indication of concern for increased algal growth, while PO4 levels above 0.05 ppm indicate greater overall potential for eutrophication.
Table 1. Pre-BMP implementation (2011) nitrate and soluble phosphorus (ppm) in streams coming into and going out of six Chesapeake Bay watershed golf courses. Data presented are averages over the whole monitoring year.
Stream In NO3#
Stream Out
PO4*
Golf Course
NO3
PO4
ppm or mg L-1
A
0.08
0.14
0.15
0.15
B
0.05
0.01
0.05
0.02
C
0.75
0.01
0.55
0.01
D
0.79
0.02
3.35
0.02
E
0.23
0.01
0.14
0.01
F
1.35
0.01
2.86
0.01
# EPA limit for safe drinking water is 10 ppm NO ; EPA water quality criterion for reducing 3
the risk of increased algal growth in water bodies is 1 ppm NO3. * EPA suggested water quality criterion to limit stream eutrophication is 0.05 ppm PO4.
10 | Virginia Turfgrass Journal May/June 2012 www.vaturf.org