Friday, October 16, 2009

The Aging of Our Ponds

Part One – Function

There is a lot more to the two ponds here at Granite Bay then just the strategic value they add to holes 1, 3 & 9. They have a unique history and crucial function to the life of Granite Bay Golf Club. They also like any natural ecosystem have an evolving nature to them that is now beginning to conflict with their crucial function and that is to hold water to irrigate the turf of our course. Solutions to this conflict will not be easy but necessary for us maintain an unobstructed irrigation source.
I wanted to address the issue in a few parts over the next few updates then perhaps put them all together as a blueprint for the future.

  •  Part One – The Function of our Ponds
  •  Part Two – The History of our Ponds
  •  Part Three – The Aging of our Ponds
  •  Part Four – The Solutions for our Ponds

From “George’s Lake” the water now flows into another large culvert that feeds a large sump, which is where our pumps draw the water for the irrigation system.
The overriding issue is, and I will elaborate in future editions, is that “George’s lake” is going through what is called an eutrophication process. The effects of this process are that sediment build up and aquatic plant life accumulation are dangerously close to effecting the flow of water out of George’s lake to the pump station.
If we had access to all the water in the Folsom Lake and we couldn’t draw it out of George’s lake we would not be able to irrigate the course. This is why this is an important issue that needs to be addressed.
Next part of this series is “The History of Our Ponds” which will cover some golf course construction history and how the lake design features might actually contribute to the eutrophication process.

Irrigation water path

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