Irrigation Water Treatment
Case Study of Bioaeration Forced Air System used in an Irrigation Pond on a Golf Course in Central Maryland.
Study done in the summer of 2008
Benefits of the aeration system
The aeration system was installed into a 3 acre pond that would be used
for irrigation of an 18-hole golf course under construction in central
Maryland. The system was installed in late July of 2008. The water was
quite cloudy and had a rotten egg (sulfur) smell and was a problem if this
condition had persisted for a long period of time. On new turfgrass
(bentgrass, Tall Fescue, Kentucky Bluegrass, and Hard Fescue),
anaerobic water would be a problem in the establishment process as well
as a major long term problem as far as the general maintenance of the
turfgrass goes.
Three to four weeks after the aeration system was turned on, the following
observations were made by the Head Superintendent:
- The strong sulfur smell dissipated and was replaced by (what was
defined by the superintendent) a refreshing aroma.
- The water started to clear up and the diffuse algae reduced to the point
that one could see a number of feet below the surface.
Water was much clearer four weeks after the system was turned on.
Cloudy water with filamentous growth on the surface
of the pond
could be seen before the onset of aeration.
The dissipation of the smell was very important for the owner of the
property and was probably one of the reasons that the system received
good reviews from both the owner and the superintendent.
The long range benefits are harder to get a handle on, but I feel the
following are areas for study:
- The use of highly enriched oxygenated water would help in the stress
tolerance of the plant and in general would benefit both plant and soil
health. In past studies using systems that enriched water with oxygen,
plant root growth increased both in length as well as in distribution. It
was surmised that these effects would help in the drought tolerance of
the plant.
- The use of enriched oxygenated water might help in the increase of
beneficial microorganisms in the soil profile. This could help in nutrient
uptake efficiency and in time perhaps help in the reduction of disease
causing organisms.
The David and Cheryl Casnoff Endowment for Innovative Environmental
Turfgrass and Landscape Research has been set up to study the long
term effects of various maintenance systems. Mike Fidanza will be in
charge of working with the contributors of the endowment. Aeration
systems and their effects on turfgrass populations on golf courses will be
one of the areas studied. The other area that will be studied in conjunction
with aeration systems will be the use of additives in the irrigation water
such as Humic Acids, Microorganism population additions, and other
materials that could be injected through the irrigation system that could
help in the reduction of pH.
The potential of these kinds of systems are great but there are several
years of study that are needed to truly understand the long term
relationships between aeration and the long term benefits from both the
plant and soil standpoint.
A view of the golf course in early September.
