5 minute read
Feature
Case Study: Strategies for Water Conservation on Sports Fields
By Ben Polimer, Field and Grounds Coordinator, Town of Weston, MA
Introduction
In the Town of Weston, MA, residents have high expectations for our athletic field surfaces. Weston residents and employees ranked the town’s sports fields in order of priority; more resources go to the high priority fields. 40 acres of our sports fields are ranked “A”. These high priority fields receive irrigation to maintain field quality and an increased agronomics maintenance program.
Site Conditions
Over the 40 acres of sports fields, all are native soil fields that host multiple sports, including soccer, lacrosse, baseball, softball, and flag football, as well as school recess activities, informal sports, and recreational gathering. The Town is fortunate to only have heavy field traffic in spring and fall. As the fields are minimally used in the summer, we use that season for field recovery. Most fields are irrigated with modern irrigation systems.
Problem
High quality playing fields are a top priority; at the same time, the Town must be fiscally responsible with our water usage. Athletic fields that are irrigated are all on portable municipal water, which is provided by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). Weston must pay for all water for irrigation purposes. Portable water costs have increased over 60% since 2017 in Weston.
Goals
• Maintain high quality sports fields with reduced water inputs.
• Protect the large investment the Town has made over the years in both the construction and maintenance of high- quality sports fields.
Steps Taken
• Since the drought in the summer of 2016, we have attempted to reduce irrigation events where possible. We have installed modern irrigation control systems and regularly use wetting agents to support water conservation efforts.
Irrigation:
• We installed smart irrigation controllers at 11 sites. These controllers are web-based, centrally controlled, and allow for remote login to change irrigation run times for each field. The “smart” system also generates daily reports on water usage and any problems from any of the systems (e.g., bad valves, broken irrigation heads).
• We also installed master valves, flow sensors, and rain/freeze sensors. These items allow for more control over each system.
• Master valves allow mainline piping to remain dry until water is needed at each field. This reduces the possibility of a mainline water break and the potential waste of water.
• Flow sensors give us “real time” water usage numbers. Flow sensors also allow the systems to prioritize water flow in each zone to maximize the watering times. Reducing the irrigation window allows watering at an optimal time for the turfgrass to efficiently use the water.PHOTO 2. Checking irrigation head performance.
• Rain/freeze sensors stop unnecessary watering if a rainstorm happens while irrigation is scheduled.
• I also use a portable time domain reflectometer (TDR) (moisture sensor) to make educated decisions on irrigation run times. I test each field’s soil moisture level at least weekly, or before and after a rainfall event, to revise a pre-scheduled irrigation event as needed.
Wetting Agent Applications:
We apply wetting agents to our high-use fields during the summer months. These surfactant materials are marketed to maximize turfgrass health, hardiness, performance, stress tolerance, and field quality. These materials allow water to enter the soil profile more easily, enabling the distribution of moisture to be more consistent and available for a longer duration to the turfgrass plant. This maximizes the effectiveness of each irrigation event, as well as natural rainfall when it occurs, and can be confirmed when I use my TDR to check the soil moisture of each field.
Results
Though it is difficult to measure a significant reduction in water usage year to year, due to the variability of rainfall, summer heat, and humidity, it is clear that we are using water more efficiently than in previous years. We appreciate the ability to adjust systems remotely. The sensors work to reduce pointless overwatering. There is little water waste from pre-scheduled irrigation events that might occur during a natural rainfall event, as the sensors override the irrigation event. We have seen no large-scale system failures that would potentially waste water. During the drought in the summer of 2022, we saw the use of wetting agents reduce the need for daily watering when municipal water restrictions were put in place. Drought-stressed sports fields recovered more quickly with the use of the wetting agent. Please note that both the irrigation systems upgrades, and the use of wetting agents are not a substitute for sound, science-based agronomics.
What We Learned
Of course, each growing season has unique challenges for maintaining active turfgrass growth to sustain safe playing surfaces of our sports fields. Using irrigation to supplement natural rainfall as efficiently as possible is critical. Yet irrigation will never fully replace natural rainfall for turf health and the natural recovery to drought stress. Water conservation is part of the turf manager’s role as a steward of the environment.
Conclusion
We will continue to adjust our agronomic programs each year. This includes making sure our irrigation systems are working as efficiently as possible and reviewing the newest wetting agent technology. Both are tools in the toolbox for the sports turf manager to provide safe, playable sports fields.
NE-SFMA’s BMPs for New England and case studies are available to current members at no charge. Members are invited to visit NE-SFMA. org to download a digital copy. There are a limited number of printed copies available for the cost of shipping and handling. Contact NE-SFMA to request a copy.
