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.

Newest Golf Course Irrigation RO Near Completion

Water Treatment Systems,Inc, Boca Raton FL has delivered it's newest reverse osmosis water treatment system to Spirit Hollow GC in Burlington IA. The 500,000 GPD RO will provide a consistent supply of irrigation quality water for the golf course.

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 2000 ppm TDS this water was detrimental to the fairways greens and tees.

The new RO system will provide 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.

A new building was constructed over the winter to house the equipment. The Water Treatment Plant is expected to start-up around May 18th.

Advantages of Reverse Osmosis for Irrigation Systems

For some years now, golf courses across the country have been making use of reverse osmosis systems to irrigate their greens. In a business where access to water for irrigation is vital to survival, many course managers are turning to reverse osmosis (RO) water filtration systems to ensure themselves of a ready supply of good quality irrigation water to keep their courses green. Is a reverse osmosis golf course irrigation system right for your course? In order to answer that question, you need to understand the advantages of reverse osmosis for desalination and water filtration.

A Reverse Osmosis System can Remove up to 99.5% of the Salt From Sea Water or Brackish Water

In coastal areas, where golf courses may be surrounded by salt water and brackish water, reverse osmosis systems can reduce the cost of irrigating the greens and fairways by making irrigation water from formerly unusable water.

A Reverse Osmosis System can Reduce Your Irrigation Costs Substantially

An article in the November 1998 issue of USGA Green Section Record noted that the Everglades Club, located in Palm Beach, Florida, had reduced irrigation costs by 75% by adopting a reverse osmosis filtration system. The course had been using the RO irrigation system for two years at the time of the article. Greens manager Peter Brooks told the magazine that his costs for irrigation from $3.18 per 1,000 gallons of water to $0.45 per 1,000 gallons.

RO Irrigation Systems can Supply Water for Your Course Even During Drought Conditions

In the same article, Rob Kloska, greens superintendent of the Jupiter Island Golf Club in Florida, noted that the city had cut the club’s water supply during drought conditions in previous summers, which is the time when irrigation and sprinklers are the most important for turf and other course plantings. Installing their own RO water treatment center not only cut costs for the golf course, it gave them control over the water supply that they didn’t have when buying water from the municipal water supply.

RO Filter Systems can Make Unusable Water Usable

Reverse osmosis filters will work on any degree of salinity in water, from full-on seawater to brackish groundwater. In addition, RO irrigation systems can filter out other impurities and contaminants that might make available water unusable for irrigation, such as hard water minerals.

An Irrigation Technology Company can Design an RO System That’s Just Right for Your Needs

Water treatment companies will often work with you to design a system that meets your needs precisely. The full process, from concept to operation, often takes less than two years. If you haven’t considered a reverse osmosis system to provide good quality golf course irrigation systems for your club, contact a water treatment company and ask for a consultation to determine if RO filtration might be worth your while.

Seawater Desalination Contributes to a Healthy Local Economy

In parts of the world where clean water supplies are scarce the application of reverse osmosis technology makes use of our infinite ocean resources. Seawater desalination systems are having a dynamic impact on the standard of living in previously under-developed areas by providing clean fresh water for drinking and industrial and commercial use.
The general quality of life is improved and with a healthy population who are able to contribute to the economy rather than being reliant on the state for their most basic needs.
Reverse osmosis systems are a proven stimulant to the growth of tourism. Naturally located by the ocean, resort development can flourish when the water treatment plant can deliver sufficient clean water supplies to sustain all the hotels, apartments, bars and restaurants that make up a successful holiday destination.
Imagine not having access to something as simple as a clean glass of water. RO systems are working to change that one glass at a time.

Desalinated Seawater for Haiti - A Missed Opportunity

Soon after Haiti was struck by an earthquake the world learned of the devastation and enormous extent of this disaster, It wasn’t very long after that that some charitable agencies envisioned plans to provide clean water for the stricken area where there was precious little to be had.
At that time, my company, Water Treatment Systems, Inc had two seawater desalination systems on hold for a customer who would not need them for another three months, time enough for us to build two more if needed. With our customers agreement we made the two SW RO systems available to the marketplace.
We had several serious inquiries from non-profit groups who wished to include them as part of temporary or mobile water treatment plants located on or near the sea to provide water to those that desperately needed it. Unfortunately, the organizations could not obtain financing and none of their plans were realized. Each of the seawater RO systems would have produced 60,000 gallons of potable water per day and would have been a great assistance especially in light of the current events.
An outbreak of cholera was confirmed in Haiti on October 21, 2010. Cholera had not been documented in Haiti for decades so cholera outbreaks were considered unlikely in Haiti immediately following the earthquake in January, 2010. For a cholera outbreak to occur, two conditions have to be met: (1) there must be significant breaches in the water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure used by groups of people, permitting large-scale exposure to food or water contaminated with Vibrio cholera organisms; and (2) cholera must be present in the population. While it is unclear how cholera was re-introduced to Haiti, both of these conditions now exist. (CDC Report)
One groups plans to supply clean water called for an off shore barge to serve as a platform for the desalination systems. Seawater would be drawn directly from the sea and piped a short distance to sanitary storage facilities onshore. Potable water would be distributed from there.
I am certain that such a plant would have supplied much needed drinking water to at least a portion of the population and alleviated some suffering in the aftermath of the earthquake. Sadly, it also would have been a great asset in the fight against cholera if it had come to pass.

19 New Alternative Water Supply Projects In South Florida

In Florida, the South Florida Water Management District, which manages the state's water resources, provides Grants to cities and private entities for development and use of alternative water sources for irrigation or potable water that otherwise might not be usable. The Floridan Aquifer, a highly brackish water supply located beneath most of Florida can now be utilized using Reverse Osmosis.It has just been announced that the SFWMD has approved providing $3.45 million for 19 projects across the region. These projects combined will provide an additional 6.5 million gallons per day of water supply capacity. The projects are intended to help the environment and the economy, said Terrie Bates assistant deputy executive director for regulatory and public affairs at the district. She also said "the investment in alternative water supply projects is an investment in Florida's' future".The money will be spread throughout the district. In Boca Raton, $175,000 will be used for a 16-inch reclaimed water distribution system expansion along Airport Road. Davie, in Broward County, will receive $200,000 to help fund a 6 million gallon per day reverse osmosis water treatment plant. Alternative water projects help to reduce dependence on traditional freshwater resources and diversify South Florida's water supply.

Zero Liquid Discharge ROWTP Follow Up

The Zero Liquid Discharge ROWTP was installed at the Texas Golf Course community, commissioned and has been operating for several months. The original system design had called for three reverse osmosis trains followed by evaporators to reduce the already low quantity of concentrate water to a solid sludge. The sludge was to be hauled off to a solid waste landfill.

While the plant was still in the construction phase the facility was granted a permit to discharge the concentrate to the municipal sewer system. This was a fortunate event because it eliminated the need for the evaporator system which would have cost approximately $1M plus annual operating cost of approximately $1M.

The ROWTP has been operating satisfactorily and is producing high quality water for irrigation. Daily product water production is 911,500 gallons. Daily concentrate production is 19,728 based on 24/7 operation. Overall system recovery is 97.5%. The membrane systems are arranged in three stages. The second and third stage trains utilize concentrate water as their feed source.

Fortunately there arose only one problem which was result of the feed water well and not the process equipment. The feed water chemistry has developed some undesirable qualities that were not reported in the original analysis. These parameters include high SDI’s, high levels of BAC and higher silica, iron levels, which were reported as satisfactory or nonexistent in the original analysis. As a result the third stage cannot be operated at the present time due to membrane fouling. So currently total systems concentrate water has increased from 22 gallons to 44 gallons, thereby decreasing the total recovery from 97.3% to 94%. Recovery is still very impressive compared to the industry standard maximum of 85%. The feed water quality issues are currently being addressed and once resolved, the third train will be reinstated.