GOLF COURSE IRRIGATION
Produce Irrigation Grade Water From Brackish Or Seawater
In recent years golf course managers have begun installing Reverse Osmosis water treatment systems which provide an excellent quality of water for irrigation and at a much lower cost than that of municipally supplied water. The use of RO for treating water for irrigation is not new. Seaside hotels in areas such as the Caribbean, Mexico, South America and the Mediterranean regions have been using RO for many years to desalinate seawater for potable water and irrigation needs.
There are several factors driving the trend towards RO water treatment for golf course irrigation. Golf course managers who buy their water from a municipal source may find rising prices to be of major concern. The cost of municipal water for irrigation may be the single largest cost expenditure your organization may have. During periods of draught not only are water bills very high but municipalities may not deliver the amount of water that's required. The reduction in potable municipal water use by your organization should also have a positive environmental impact upon the community water resources. Shallow wells, a common source of irrigation water, are becoming highly regulated with limits on how much water maybe withdrawn each day. In coastal areas, shallow wells may be subject to salt water intrusion making them unusable for irrigation.
In Florida, the South Florida Water Management District, which manages the state's water resources, provides Grants to cities and private entities, i.e. Golf Clubs, for development and use of alternative water sources for irrigation that otherwise might not be useable. The Floridan Aquifer, a highly brackish water supply located beneath most of Florida can now be utilized using Reverse Osmosis.
These are just a few of the factors that are driving the trend toward private ownership of a Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant. Perhaps the most important reason is the ability to provide a consistent high quality source of water for beautiful greens and fairways.
Fortunately, in much of the coastal USA there exists brackish water aquifers that have no practical use and are not as highly regulated as wells of sufficient quality for potable water use. Reverse Osmosis is a valuable tool that allows golf courses to utilize this brackish water as a feed source to produce water of an excellent quality for irrigation.
Given these circumstances the most effective benefit of a Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant is the cost savings that it provides. The actual operating cost depends on many variables but the range is somewhere between $.50 and $1.45 per thousand gallons of product water when brackish water is available, and an estimated $2.00 to $3.00 per thousand gallons when seawater is the only available water source.
How much are you paying per thousand gallons, now? If your answer is "much higher" then you will be glad to know that the savings your clients will realize by making their own irrigation grade water is very likely large enough to return the capital cost of entire Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant in three to five years.
Now is the time to consider developing and alternative water supply and operating a privately owned water treatment facility for your organizations irrigation water needs.
WMG will provide consultation and services for a complete water treatment plant beginning with an analysis of your source water and site conditions. Next we will provide you with a Master Plan covering all phases of water treatment plant construction including design, permitting and cost.