Nutrient Load Generated by Storm Event Runoff from a Golf Course Watershed
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Published online May 25, 2007 Nutrient Load Generated by Storm Event Runoff from a Golf Course Watershed K. W. King,* J. C. Balogh, K. L. Hughes, and R. D. Harmel ABSTRACT the United States. (King and Balogh, 2006). Golf courses Turf, including home lawns, roadsides, golf courses, parks, etc., are the most intensively managed systems in the urban is often the most intensively managed land use in the urban landscape. landscape (Walker et al., 1990; Smith and Bridges, 1996; Substantial inputs of fertilizers and water to maintain turf systems Shuman et al., 2000). Management is an integral part of have led to a perception that turf systems are a major contributor to developing and maintaining high quality, efficient turf- nonpoint source water pollution. The primary objective of this study grass systems. Judicious irrigation, fertilization, mowing, was to quantify nutrient (NO3–N, NH4–N, and PO4–P) transport in aeration, and pest control all contribute to maintenance storm-generated surface runoff from a golf course. Storm event of healthy turfgrass (Walker and Branham, 1992; Balogh samples were collected for 5 yr (1 Apr. 1998–31 Mar. 2003) from the and Anderson, 1992; Balogh and Watson, 1992; Turgeon, Morris Williams Municipal Golf Course in Austin, TX. Inflow and 1996; Witteveen and Bavier, 1999). However, the per- outflow samples were collected from a stream that transected the golf course. One hundred fifteen runoff-producing precipitation events ception (Pratt, 1985; Peacock et al., 1996; Smith and Bridges, 1996; Shuman, 2002; Kohler et al., 2004) and were measured. Median NO3–N and PO4–P concentrations at the outflow location were significantly ( p , 0.05) greater than like con- potential (Balogh and Walker, 1992) for turf manage- centrations measured at the inflow location; however, median outflow ment to lead to offsite transport of nutrients and pes- NH4–N concentration was significantly less than the median inflow ticides does exist. 21 concentration. Storm water runoff transported 1.2 kg NO3–N ha 21 21 21 21 21 yr , 0.23 kg NH4–N ha yr , and 0.51 kg PO4–P ha yr from Nitrogen and Phosphorus Studies on Golf Courses the course. These amounts represent approximately 3.3% of applied N and 6.2% of applied P over the contributing area for the same period. Periodic nutrient applications are an integral and es- NO3–N transport in storm water runoff from this course does not pose sential part of establishing and maintaining high quality a substantial environmental risk; however, the median PO4–P con- turf (Branham et al., 2005). However, these applications centration exiting the course exceeded the USEPA recommendation increase the potential for nutrients to be transported off 21 of 0.1 mg L for streams not discharging into lakes. The PO4–P load site in surface runoff or through subsurface drainage measured in this study was comparable to soluble P rates measured features exiting to surface water. Runoff and nutrient from agricultural lands. The findings of this study emphasize the need loss research from turf has been conducted at the field to balance golf course fertility management with environmental risks, (Morton et al., 1988; Cole et al., 1997; Linde and especially with respect to phosphorus. Watschke, 1997; Gaudreau et al., 2002; Easton and Petrovic, 2005) and to a lesser extent the watershed scale (Kunimatsu et al., 1999; Mallin and Wheeler, 2000; King Extent of Turfgrass and Golf Courses et al., 2001; Winter and Dillon, 2005; Starrett and Bhandari, 2006). THERE ARE an estimated 17 million hectares of turf- grass (home lawns, roadsides, commercial property, golf The general conclusions of the small-scale studies in- courses, parks, recreational resorts, schools, churches, dicate that with well maintained turf the amount of run- cemeteries, airports, and sod farms) in the U.S. with off is small and the concentrations of nutrients in the an annual value of $40 to 60 billion (Morris, 2006). The surface runoff are well below any level of major concern. largest percentage of turfgrass is found in home lawns While studies on small scales are valuable they may not while an approximate four million turfgrass hectares are represent the diversity and connectivity associated with located on roadside right-of-ways (Federal Highway a watershed-scale system. The data collected from plot Administration, 2004). In some rapidly urbanizing re- studies is also limited with regard to the temporal do- gions of the U.S., turfgrass is rivaling corn and soybeans main, many conducted for less than 2 yr. as the number one crop, a phenomena that is expected Watershed-scale golf course assessments indicate that to continue with urban sprawl (Shuman et al., 2000). concentrations from water features on the golf courses The nation’s 16 052 golf courses (National Golf Foun- are generally of the same magnitude with those reported dation, 2006) account for approximately 3% of all turf in in plot scale studies (Mallin and Wheeler, 2000; Winter and Dillon, 2005; Starrett and Bhandari, 2006). Cohen et al. (1999) reported that a survey of runoff on seven- K.W. King, USDA-ARS, 590 Woody Hayes Drive, Columbus, OH teen golf courses in the United States did not contain 43210. J.C. Balogh, Spectrum Research Inc., 4915 E. Superior St., Suite any cases of NO3–N exceeding the drinking water stan- 100, Duluth, MN 55804. K.L. Hughes, The Ohio State Univ., 590 21 dard of 10 mg L . The median NO3–N value recorded Woody Hayes Dr., Columbus, OH 43210. R.D. Harmel, USDA-ARS, 21 Reproduced from Journal of Environmental Quality. Published by808 ASA, CSSA, and SSSA.E. All copyrights reserved. Blackland Rd., Temple, TX 76502. Received 22 Sept. 2006. in that survey was 0.38 mg L . Nutrient loading is *Corresponding author ([email protected]). greater from the watershed scale systems when com- pared to plot studies. Published in J. Environ. Qual. 36:1021–1030 (2007). Based on the limited published findings on nutrient Technical Reports: Surface Water Quality doi:10.2134/jeq2006.0387 fate and transport from turf systems, we formulated the ª ASA, CSSA, SSSA following hypothesis: NO3–N, NH4–N, and PO4–P losses 677 S. Segoe Rd., Madison, WI 53711 USA in storm event runoff from a well managed turfgrass 1021 1022 J. ENVIRON. QUAL., VOL. 36, JULY–AUGUST 2007 watershed (golf course) will not pose an environmental Table 1. Soil mapping units located in the study area at Morris risk. Thus, the objective of this research was to assess Williams Municipal Golf Course (MWMGC). and quantify the potential for nutrients (NO3–N, NH4– NRCS Soil mapping Hydrologic Extent Total N, and PO4–P) to be transported in storm event runoff unit Dominant texture soil group of unit area from a golf course. ha % Houston Black gravelly clay D 8.0 27.6 MATERIALS AND METHODS 1 Urban 1 to 3% slope Experimental Site and Management Travis 1 Urban gravelly loamy sand C 21.0 72.4 1 to 8% slope over sandy clay/ Morris Williams Municipal Golf Course (MWMGC) lo- sandy clay loam cated in Austin, TX (Fig. 1) was selected for this study. MWMGC is an 18-hole golf course measuring approximately 76 ha located adjacent to the west side of the old Robert tending from San Antonio north to the Red River. Soils on Mueller Municipal Airport between Manor Road and Martin MWMGC were formed in alluvium, clayey bedrock, and marl Luther King, Jr. Boulevard (Fig. 1). Manor Road is curbed, bedrock but have been subjected to considerable disturbance forcing all water from that street segment to the inlet of the and redistribution as a result of local construction projects. The golf course. MWMGC was constructed in 1963 and is managed study area is dominated by two soil types (Table 1): Travis and open for play year round. (fine, mixed, thermic Ultic Paleustalfs) and Houston Black Specifically, the area of interest for this study was the central (fine, montmorillonitic, thermic Udic Haplusterts). Travis soils portion of the course. The stream segment is characterized are located on the slopes while the Houston Black clays are by a series of open channels, culverts, and casual water de- located in the valleys and areas surrounding the stream. The tention areas. Open channels convey water until the channel Houston Black clays have a high shrink/swell potential and a approaches a fairway. At that point, the drainage water enters very slow permeability (less than 1.52 mm h21) when wet (SCS, a culvert which runs the width of the fairway before exiting 1974). However, preferential flow resulting from soil cracking to the surface channel. At the outlet of each of the culverts, contributes to high infiltration rates when the soil is dry (Allen stream bank erosion has widened the stream creating small et al., 2005; Arnold et al., 2005). detention areas. During large runoff events, drainage water During the study period (1 Apr. 1998–31 Mar. 2003), man- not able to be conveyed by the culverts runs over and across agement practices were typical of municipal courses in the the surface of the fairways. The drainage way conducts surface southern U.S. Fairways and greens were seeded with a hybrid runoff from the course and old airport across holes #10, #15, bermudagrass cultivar. Greens were over-seeded in late fall #16, #17, #2, and #7 (Fig. 1). The topography is such that the with perennial ryegrass. The golf course was irrigated with a contributing area (29 ha) contains 10 greens (0.73 ha), seven mixture of potable water from the city and water pumped from full fairways and one partial fairway (8.23 ha), and seven tees an onsite, unlined reservoir.