Effect of Golf Course Turfgrass Management On Water Quality of Streams in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Turfgrass systems are an intensively managed land use. Fertilizer, irrigation, and pesticide inputs are needed to maintain high-quality turf. Consequently, golf courses are generally viewed to be a significant potential contributor to nonpoint source water pollution. Numerous Virginia golf courses are located in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, which has a history of nutrient pollution and eutrophication problems. To date, no watershed-scale studies have been completed in Virginia investigating the role of golf course turf management in nutrient deposition or attenuation in local streams. No studies have extended this information to the Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) of an associated watershed to find nutrient contribution or reduction amounts. The goal of this project is to quantify effects of golf course turf management on stream water quality by comparing areas upstream and downstream of managed turf areas and to relate these data to the Chesapeake Bay to TMDL for nitrogen and phosphorus. These data will help to clarify if possible future water quality regulation by the State or EPA is warranted for golf course management. Data for seven seasons at six courses in the James River Basin within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed have been collected. No significant impairment trends of dissolved oxygen, conductivity, temperature, or pH have been observed to date. Nitrate-N was always below the 10 mgL^-1 EPA drinking water standard. Phosphate-P in downstream waters was below the 0.05 mgL^-1 EPA recommendation. There were no significant differences between the upstream and downstream locations at all sites for ammonium-N and phosphate-P.  Overall, no significant degradation of local water quality appears to be occurring at the six golf courses studied.