Question:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – When I was in Tucson, Arizona, I noticed how bad the native plantlife looked next to the golf courses. The reason is that all the unnatural watering required to keep the greens, Green, encourages rotting of saguaro cactus. The desert plants have evolved to live wiht very little water, and so too much of agood thing is bad. Also, golf course strain already plagued water resources further because of their heavy demand for water, in the southwest especially. When it was suggested that golf courses use the effluent of sewage treatment plants as ameans to save fresh water, the golfers put up a fuss. Their claim was they didn’t want to walk courses that used that type of water. How disrespectful of the environment. The water is safe to drink after it emerges from the treatment plants, and surely a little nitrate or someother nutrient would b e good for the grass. There is virtually no way for the treatment plants to get rid of waste water except to allow it back into river flows. If other people know of this vast wasting of fresh water reserves. let’s hear from ‘em. Steve Heller
Steve, I won’t argue about the conditions of native plants around golf courses, but you are not quite right about the use of effluent to water golf courses. Both the City of Tucson and Pima County have policies encouraging the use of effluent or reclaimed water on courses; many of the newer courses have permits conditional upon their use of a certain percentage of waste. In fact, the Randolf course until recently had their "own" treatment plant (operated by the County) on the grounds to provide landscaping water. It was closed this year for "political" reasons <sigh (As an aside, the adjacent park is a lovely place to hold koi shows and exhibitions, but we always have to be very careful which spigots we use to fill the show tanks. The park is watered by reclaimed water as well as the golf course.) As far as the effluent from the treatment plants being safe enough to drink, well, lets just say that the treatment plants get bottled water for drinking purposes, and all the faucets have nice little signs saying that the water is unsafe for human consumption. I have lived in Tucson for 25 years, and until last year worked at one of the wastewater treatment plants; my husband still does. Believe me, I got to see the lab reports on the effluent, and while it may have passed EPA standards (actually, they surpassed them more than 99.9% of the time), I would not care to try drinking it myself. And yes, the effluent IS dumped back into the Santa Cruz River; in fact, the only actual year-round flow comes from the treatment plants. Upriver it is dry for most of the year. The idea is that it will (eventually) soak back into the ground and recharge the water table. The EPA has set very strict standards for wastewater because of an endangered fish found 50 miles or so further downstream. (It’s a standing joke in Tucson about fish in the "dry" Santa Cruz.) One of the plants has set up a permanent bio-monitoring station (actually, it’s a mandate by EPA) that tests water quality continually by use of fat-head minnows. (now, that is something that always bugged me – they use riduculously small fish – less than 2 inches long – and I have always been taught that the smaller the fish, the more vunerable it is – and expect them to LIVE through the stress of testing!) Anyway, didn’t mean to ramble on quite so long – just wanted to point out that we here in Tucson are not QUITE as bad as you make out.
Response:
Perhaps if you improved your game… Don Martinson "Existing order thrives on ignorance and lies. Objective truth and individual reason are feared above all."
Response:
I really have grown to hate ponds over the last few years.. Theres a huge pond thats about 30 feet from the front of the green at my golf club’s course.. This ponds had eaten so many of my golf balls over the last few years.. So I really hate ponds..
Response:
I really have grown to hate ponds over the last few years.. Theres a huge pond thats about 30 feet from the front of the green at my golf club’s course.. This ponds had eaten so many of my golf balls over the last few years.. So I really hate ponds..
Perhaps you should consider improving your golfing rather than blaming the pond……I personally consider golf courses the biggest waste of resources (land, water, money) to ever blight the face of the Earth. Dan DePardo
Response:
When I was in Tucson, Arizona, I noticed how bad the native plantlife looked next to the golf courses. The reason is that all the unnatural watering required to keep the greens, Green, encourages rotting of saguaro cactus. The desert plants have evolved to live wiht very little water, and so too much of agood thing is bad. Also, golf course strain already plagued water resources further because of their heavy demand for water, in the southwest especially. When it was suggested that golf courses use the effluent of sewage treatment plants as ameans to save fresh water, the golfers put up a fuss. Their claim was they didn’t want to walk courses that used that type of water. How disrespectful of the environment. The water is safe to drink after it emerges from the treatment plants, and surely a little nitrate or someother nutrient would b e good for the grass. There is virtually no way for the treatment plants to get rid of waste water except to allow it back into river flows. If other people know of this vast wasting of fresh water reserves. let’s hear from ‘em. Steve Heller – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I really have grown to hate ponds over the last few years.. Theres a huge pond thats about 30 feet from the front of the green at my golf club’s course.. This ponds had eaten so many of my golf balls over the last few years.. So I really hate ponds.. Perhaps you should consider improving your golfing rather than blaming the pond……I personally consider golf courses the biggest waste of resources (land, water, money) to ever blight the face of the Earth. Dan DePardo
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – When I was in Tucson, Arizona, I noticed how bad the native plantlife looked next to the golf courses. The reason is that all the unnatural watering required to keep the greens, Green, encourages rotting of saguaro cactus. The desert plants have evolved to live wiht very little water, and so too much of agood thing is bad. Also, golf course strain already plagued water resources further because of their heavy demand for water, in the southwest especially. When it was suggested that golf courses use the effluent of sewage treatment plants as ameans to save fresh water, the golfers put up a fuss. Their claim was they didn’t want to walk courses that used that type of water. How disrespectful of the environment. The water is safe to drink after it emerges from the treatment plants, and surely a little nitrate or someother nutrient would b e good for the grass. There is virtually no way for the treatment plants to get rid of waste water except to allow it back into river flows. If other people know of this vast wasting of fresh water reserves. let’s hear from ‘em. Steve Heller
Steve, I won’t argue about the conditions of native plants around golf courses, but you are not quite right about the use of effluent to water golf courses. Both the City of Tucson and Pima County have policies encouraging the use of effluent or reclaimed water on courses; many of the newer courses have permits conditional upon their use of a certain percentage of waste. In fact, the Randolf course until recently had their "own" treatment plant (operated by the County) on the grounds to provide landscaping water. It was closed this year for "political" reasons <sigh (As an aside, the adjacent park is a lovely place to hold koi shows and exhibitions, but we always have to be very careful which spigots we use to fill the show tanks. The park is watered by reclaimed water as well as the golf course.) As far as the effluent from the treatment plants being safe enough to drink, well, lets just say that the treatment plants get bottled water for drinking purposes, and all the faucets have nice little signs saying that the water is unsafe for human consumption. I have lived in Tucson for 25 years, and until last year worked at one of the wastewater treatment plants; my husband still does. Believe me, I got to see the lab reports on the effluent, and while it may have passed EPA standards (actually, they surpassed them more than 99.9% of the time), I would not care to try drinking it myself. And yes, the effluent IS dumped back into the Santa Cruz River; in fact, the only actual year-round flow comes from the treatment plants. Upriver it is dry for most of the year. The idea is that it will (eventually) soak back into the ground and recharge the water table. The EPA has set very strict standards for wastewater because of an endangered fish found 50 miles or so further downstream. (It’s a standing joke in Tucson about fish in the "dry" Santa Cruz.) One of the plants has set up a permanent bio-monitoring station (actually, it’s a mandate by EPA) that tests water quality continually by use of fat-head minnows. (now, that is something that always bugged me – they use riduculously small fish – less than 2 inches long – and I have always been taught that the smaller the fish, the more vunerable it is – and expect them to LIVE through the stress of testing!) Anyway, didn’t mean to ramble on quite so long – just wanted to point out that we here in Tucson are not QUITE as bad as you make out.
Response:
Perhaps if you improved your game… Don Martinson "Existing order thrives on ignorance and lies. Objective truth and individual reason are feared above all."
Response:
I really have grown to hate ponds over the last few years.. Theres a huge pond thats about 30 feet from the front of the green at my golf club’s course.. This ponds had eaten so many of my golf balls over the last few years.. So I really hate ponds..
Response:
I really have grown to hate ponds over the last few years.. Theres a huge pond thats about 30 feet from the front of the green at my golf club’s course.. This ponds had eaten so many of my golf balls over the last few years.. So I really hate ponds..
Perhaps you should consider improving your golfing rather than blaming the pond……I personally consider golf courses the biggest waste of resources (land, water, money) to ever blight the face of the Earth. Dan DePardo
Response:
When I was in Tucson, Arizona, I noticed how bad the native plantlife looked next to the golf courses. The reason is that all the unnatural watering required to keep the greens, Green, encourages rotting of saguaro cactus. The desert plants have evolved to live wiht very little water, and so too much of agood thing is bad. Also, golf course strain already plagued water resources further because of their heavy demand for water, in the southwest especially. When it was suggested that golf courses use the effluent of sewage treatment plants as ameans to save fresh water, the golfers put up a fuss. Their claim was they didn’t want to walk courses that used that type of water. How disrespectful of the environment. The water is safe to drink after it emerges from the treatment plants, and surely a little nitrate or someother nutrient would b e good for the grass. There is virtually no way for the treatment plants to get rid of waste water except to allow it back into river flows. If other people know of this vast wasting of fresh water reserves. let’s hear from ‘em. Steve Heller – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I really have grown to hate ponds over the last few years.. Theres a huge pond thats about 30 feet from the front of the green at my golf club’s course.. This ponds had eaten so many of my golf balls over the last few years.. So I really hate ponds.. Perhaps you should consider improving your golfing rather than blaming the pond……I personally consider golf courses the biggest waste of resources (land, water, money) to ever blight the face of the Earth. Dan DePardo