Effect of turfgrass management on water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed

Chantel Wilson measuring velocity at one of the participating golf course research streams, January 2014. Photo: Chantel Wilson

High-quality turf on golf courses is maintained with fertilizer, irrigation and pesticide inputs. As a result, they are perceived as significant contributors to water pollution. Hundreds of courses are located in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, where there is a history of nutrient pollution and eutrophication problems, resulting in major declines in fish and shellfish populations.

No completed studies have investigated the connection between golf course turf management and nutrient deposition or attenuation in Virginia streams. The project goal is to quantify effects of turf management on water quality by comparing areas upstream (INs) and downstream (OUTs) of courses. Data will be compared to the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Loads for nitrogen and phosphorus, clarifying if future regulation of water quality is warranted for golf course management.

Data for 11 seasons at six courses in the James River Basin within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed have been collected. No significant impairment trends of dissolved oxygen, conductivity, temperature or pH have been observed to date. Nitrate-N was always below the 10 mg L-1 EPA drinking water standard. Phosphate-P in downstream waters was below the 0.05 mg L-1 EPA recommendation. There appears to be no significant differences between the IN and OUT locations at all sites for ammonium-N and phosphate-P.

A weak significant increase in nitrate-N was observed at one stream, but is at a low level. Overall, no significant degradation of local water quality appears from the six golf courses studied.

Funding: GCSAA/EIFG, Virginia GCSA, Virginia Agricultural Council

Chantel Wilson, Stephen Schoenholtz, Ph.D. and Erik Ervin, Ph.D., Virginia Tech. Contact Chantel at cwilson5@vt.edu for more information.