Coronado’s municipal golf course needs a new irrigation system, according to city staff, but the expensive replacement is anticipated to save money on water bills and cut down on water usage.
Tim Farmer, the director of recreation and golf services, told the City Council on March 4 that golf courses typically replace main irrigation lines every 40 years, yet the system at Coronado’s course was installed in 1957.
Other elements of the system, including pump stations and sprinklers, have also been extended beyond their life spans.
Farmer also noted problems with the current system’s design, leaving dry areas on the green.
To compensate, Farmer said the golf course staff is hand-watering areas every day.
“We do have staff out there spending about 35 hours a week hand-watering the areas that aren’t covered by the irrigation system, and about 8 hours per week fixing the system too,” Farmer said. “…This is not the most efficient way of utilizing our labor resources.”
The irrigation redesign and replacement to fix all of the outdated issues is anticipated to reduce water consumption by 20%.
“I certainly see the need to do the irrigation replacement in our golf course,” council member Mark Fleming said. “It appears as if it’s sadly needed.”
Farmer said the city staff is considering a design that would convert around 23 acres of “out of play” turf areas to sandy landscapes. Cutting down on the total amount of grass would result in an additional 20% of water savings.
“I, too, would absolutely advocate for even a little more aggressive reduction because of the water crisis that we’re going to be having in the future,” said council member Amy Steward. “I would go for at least 30% reduction on those if possible.”
The design to cut down on turf area draws inspiration from courses across the country, such as Monterey Peninsula Country Club, Cypress Point Club, Seminole Golf Club and Pine Valley.
The total budget for water used at the golf course this year is $1.57 million. A new irrigation system alone, without turf reduction, is anticipated to save the city $300,000 each year in water expenses, Farmer said.
Money would also be saved when the golf course reduces the amount of time employees are spending on hand watering the green. Currently, the 35 hours a week dedicated to that task equates to $73,000 in spending, according to Farmer.
All five council members voted to have the staff come back with design options to show the 20% reduction in water usage as well as turf reduction options of an additional 20%.
Cost estimates for the project will be presented to the council at a future date.
