Colorado is home to pristine rivers, lakes, and streams. Colorado's waterbodies are not only picturesque but are also essential to the state's environmental health and economic vitality. Freshwater bodies supply drinking water for millions and nourish Colorado’s diverse ecosystems. With a growing population, the need to preserve and protect water quality is more critical than ever. Safeguarding our water through the use of best management practices (BMPs) is paramount.
Good water stewards develop strategies to mitigate risks. Golf course superintendents are the stewards of expansive landscapes, which have direct impacts on local waterbodies. Recognizing this responsibility, superintendents adhere to various operations, monitoring, and management practices to protect water quality.
Superintendents utilize advanced irrigation systems that minimize water use and avoid runoff. This ensures that only the necessary amount of water is used, thereby conserving precious resources, and preventing excess water runoff.
Careful and strategic use of nutrients and pesticides is also essential. Superintendents employ precision techniques, ensuring they nourish and protect turfgrass without harming nearby water bodies. Regular soil testing is conducted to adjust fertilizer types and quantities. Superintendents also opt for environmentally-friendly pesticides when pesticides are necessary and apply them judiciously to avoid disturbance of nearby waterbodies. Routine water testing and monitoring are conducted to catch and address any potential issues early on.
Buffer zones around the shore of a waterbody or other sensitive areas filter and purify runoff as it passes across the buffer. Composed of native plants, these areas act as filters, trapping pollutants. Native species provide water quality benefits, pleasing aesthetics, and habitat/food sources for wildlife. Continuing vegetative plantings into the water provides emergent vegetation for aquatic life. Effective BMPs filter and trap sediment using a “natural systems engineering” approach that maximizes the use of natural systems to treat water.
Colorado's wetlands are vital to its water resources. These ecologically productive environments serve as natural filters, absorbing pollutants and reducing flood risks. They provide critical habitats for diverse wildlife species and are essential for maintaining water quality. The Colorado Natural Heritage Program approximates that the state has around 1 to 2 percent of its land area as wetlands.
Golf courses in Colorado are increasingly becoming partners in wetland conservation. Many are designed with an emphasis on environmental stewardship, opting to incorporate and preserve existing wetlands. These wetlands are then managed and preserved by the course, often under the guidance of environmental specialists. By thoughtfully integrating wetlands into golf course layouts, Colorado courses achieve aesthetic appeal and challenging play while participating in broader conservation efforts.
Protecting water quality in Colorado is a shared responsibility. Golf course superintendents, through meticulous operations, monitoring, and management practices, are playing an essential role in this mission. Our courses exemplify how commercial landscapes can harmonize with natural environments and actively protect our Colorado waterbodies - ensuring that the pleasures of today’s round of golf do not come at the expense of tomorrow’s clean and vibrant water resources.