California Drought Response Cancel The title field is required!

1. Gary Carls

   

   19 posts
   
   4/15/2015 3:04 PM

   To all,
   
   It's been pretty quiet here so I thought I would try to stimulate some discussion out west. Glad I'm retired and not facing the summer many of you may be facing.
   
   I know most of you have done a lot over the last several years to reduce water use throughout your courses and generally golf courses have done more than their fair share to help conserve water throughout this drought. I'm guessing that most courses have probably been running pretty lean for several years and already been saving 20% or more on their water. Just wondering what additional steps your courses may be taking this summer given the latest direction from Sacramento on water reduction?
   
   Turf reduction, ornamental ponds, hand watering, staff reductions? Long-term vs. short-term actions? Course closures?

   
   Gary K. Carls, CGCS, President - Oakland Turfgrass Education Initiative
   
   
2. Corey Eastwood

   

   80 posts
   
   4/16/2015 11:04 AM

   No mandatory restrictions yet in Stockton. There have been several Letters To Editor demanding no water on turf of any kind. Cute Editorial Cartoon yesterday showing a women on the pot with a farmer standing next to her. He says that the water from that flush will grow 1/2 of a Almond.

   
   Corey Eastwood CGCS, Stockton Golf & CC, Retired
   
   
3. Steve Nelson

   

   0 posts
   
   4/16/2015 12:04 PM

   No limitations on reclaimed. Greens and clubhouse landscaping are on potable and as of this week I am limited 3 irrigations per week with potable now til November, then 1x per week Nov-Feb. Funny thing is that I only found that out during a conversation about something else with our water dept. They are not very good at getting the word out. I see the same homes and businesses blasing away every day despite the new regulations. People are clueless that new regs are in place for everybody in town.

   
   
   
   
4. Gary Carls

   

   19 posts
   
   4/16/2015 1:04 PM

   Gus,
   
   As we all know, one of the biggest challenges for golf courses will continue to be the image that any green turf reflects to the consumers. Most courses have done a great job way before any restrictions were put in place because of the great expense that water can be to a lot of facilities as well as trying to produce the best possible turf conditions which we all know does not mean over watering.
   
   While we know it isn't a huge number in the overall water picture I also continue to see the lawns and landscapes locally that water almost every single day. Some of these landscapes would probably be fine with watering only a few times/month. For me at home, I don't have any real turf and everything gets water manually as I need to. For some areas of my landscape, that means maybe once per month in the summer.
   
   Hopefully others will follow a similar path this summer.

   
   Gary K. Carls, CGCS, President - Oakland Turfgrass Education Initiative
   
   
5. Jeff Jensen

   

   0 posts
   
   4/22/2015 5:04 PM

   Below is a link to the updated emergency regulations issued on April 18 which now include some extremely loose regulations on groundwater use. The final regulations will come out on May 5-6. Potable water restrictions are still under the auspices of local water districts (9 tiers of reductions) while the 25% groundwater cuts are under state control. Who knows how this will all play out in the final document. It's extremely important that superintendents reach out to their provider to get the correct information. 411 large providers in the states and they will all have different methods of achieving their state mandates.
   
   http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrigh ... ons.shtml#.
   
   Click on the "Documents" Tab.
   
   I will post final SWRCB regulations after May 6.

   
   
   
   
6. Jeff Jensen

   

   0 posts
   
   5/6/2015 4:05 PM

   The State Water Resources Control Board issued the final emergency regulations yesterday in Sacramento. Below is the link to the press release:
   
   http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/#sa-ns_mchann ... icRSS20-sa
   
   If you are a potable water user, contact your water district to see how the new regulations will affect your facility. The local districts have discretion over how to reach their mandated cutback goals (8-36%). Some may be placing larger restrictions on outdoor irrigation. Below is a chart that shows what tier each provider falls into:
   
   http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrigh ... 150428.pdf
   
   If you are a groundwater user, you are required to reduce usage by 25% or move to a two-day per week watering schedule. You are not required to report use, but if a complaint is filed against you, the onus falls on your facility to provide usage reports. If your wells are not metered, I would recommend getting that accomplished and keeping monthly records of what you are pumping.
   
   If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me at jjensen@gcsaa.org and I will be glad to assist you.

   
   
   
   
7. Gary Carls

   

   19 posts
   
   11/2/2015 11:11 AM

   Well all,
   
   It looks like mother nature is finally providing some drought relief up here in Northern California. Been at least an inch or more of rain for most locations near the Bay area. Let's hope this is the start of a good winter for everyone who has really gotten hammered by the rough conditions the last several years. I've seen some course conditions this fall that I can't ever recall seeing since coming to California in 1981.
   
   Hoping for more!!!

   
   Gary K. Carls, CGCS, President - Oakland Turfgrass Education Initiative