Clarification: Use of RO Water in Golf Industry Mag Article

I just finished reading an interesting article in Golf Course Industry Magazine, written by Jason Stahl, about the types and uses of golf course irrigation water. In the article, Mr, Stahl refers to comments of Dr. Dara Park, a soil and water specialist with the Clemson University School of Agricultural, Forest and Environmental Sciences. Dr. Park's informative information is very good but an important clarification is necessary regarding Dr. Parks comment about the use of RO water.

Dr. Park does not recommend the use of RO water because it is devoid of any beneficial minerals required by greens and fairways. In my many years of experience designing and supplying RO systems for GC irrigation, I have never seen highly purified RO water applied directly to the turf. Most RO systems are utilized to reduce salinity found in brackish water wells. The RO product water will not be "purified" by rather it will contain about 200 - 350 ppm TDS. This is an excellent water quality for irrigation however it is rare that even this quality water is applied directly to fairways and greens. The product water from Golf Course RO systems is directed either to an irrigation water pond or to storage tanks. Irrigation ponds are the most common. These are the ponds that the irrigation pumping systems draw their supply. The RO water which is nearly devoid of Chlorides, Sodium, and Bicarbonates mixed with the pond water and the TDS increases do to natural organics and other non-harmful substance in the pond water. In a storage tank, the RO water mixes with airborne substances and rain water.

There are GC facilities that use their RO systems to treat municipal water often because the cost to do so is lower for them than buying water from the public utility. The RO product will be very pure but once it is mixed with pond water the TDS increases to a beneficial level. Also, some GC superintendents inject additives into the RO product to meet particular growth objectives.

In conclusion, wherever a consistent supply of low cost good quality water is not present, RO systems are an excellent tool for creating irrigation quality water from otherwise unusable alternative water supplies.

WTS Commissions .5 MGD RO For Golf Course Irrigation

Burlington, Iowa July 30 Water Treatment Systems, Inc, Boca Raton FL has commissioned a new reverse osmosis water treatment system at Spirit Hollow Golf Club in Burlington IA. The 500,000 GPD RO, manufactured by Water Management Group, Inc. will provide a consistent supply of irrigation quality water for the golf course. The design-build project was a result of successful teamwork performed by the owner, Spirit Hollow Golf Club, Water Treatment Systems, Inc and Water Management Group, Inc.
At times of low rainfall, which is an annual occurrence during the golf season in Iowa, the facilities back up source of water has been a brackish water well. At 2600 ppm TDS this water was harmful to the fairways greens and tees.

The new RO system provides a product water of approximately 100 ppm TDS which will then be stored in a natural pond. The blended pond water should reach approximately 400 ppm TDS before being pumped onto the golf course. “This water quality is considered to be optimal for the health and appearance of fairways, greens and additional landscaping” said Jeff Dunn, WTS, Inc. applications engineer.
A new building was constructed over the winter to house the equipment which consists of the .5 MGD membrane train and pre-filtration system.
Reverse Osmosis systems are increasingly chosen by Golf Course properties to reduce water costs while maintaining consistent irrigation quality water from sources otherwise unsuitable for irrigation or potable water use. The cost of operating an RO water treatment plant is often much less than the cost of municipal water or reclaimed waste-water, and better for the turf.
Water Treatment Systems, Inc. designs reverse osmosis systems for industrial and commercial applications and specializes in brackish and sea water desalination.

Reverse Osmosis Systems Provide Quality, Reduce Water Usage for Golf Course Irrigation

In recent years golf course managers have begun installing Reverse Osmosis water treatment systems to provide good quality 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.
But In many parts of the country, and worldwide, golf course managers struggle with the problems of availability, cost or quality of water for irrigation of their golf course. Reverse Osmosis has solved the problem of utilizing brackish ground water and many Golf Clubs have planned to purchase and install their own RO water treatment plants only to run directly into a difficult problem: where to discharge the RO concentrate. This is the water that contains the concentrated minerals removed by the reverse osmosis process. The problem is finding a suitable location to send the RO concentrate water and obtaining the necessary permits. RO concentrate water is considered “industrial waste” by the DER and EPA. Examples of approved discharge resources may be an infiltration trench, deep well, a lined surface water body on the property and discharge to a municipal sewage system of low flow concentrate. If none of these exist then building them may be cost prohibitive or not permitted in the location of the property.
But what if there was no water to dispose of or a very minimal amount that could get permitted? Enter “Zero Liquid Discharge” RO system design. This is a very recent advance in reverse osmosis technology which can be provided in various ways based on site specific conditions.
By utilizing stages membrane trains and, in some cases, evaporators as the final stage in the process, an irrigation water treatment plants can reduce 250,000 gallons per day concentrate discharge from a one million gallon per day systems, to less than 27,000 gallons per day. This is a more manageable quantity and one which has a better chance for approved permitting. This is a very important development for the RO and Golf Course industries.