Soil Properties and Mineral Composition of Turfgrass Prior to and after 10 Yrs of Irrigation with Effluent Water.

To determine the impacts of effluent water irrigation on turfgrass and soils, samples were collected at baseline, 5 and 11 years after the initiation of effluent water irrigation from three golf courses.   Soil analyses prior to and 11 years after effluent water irrigation indicated that soil sodium content, sodium exchangeable percentage (ESP), and soil pH increased after effluent water irrigation.    Eleven years of effluent water irrigation has increased Kentucky bluegrass clipping sodium content by more than 4 times.  Boron and chloride content increased, whereas tissue zinc content was reduced.  Despite the significant mineral content changes, turfgrass generally exhibited acceptable quality.  Soil aerification and gypsum addition effectively prevented a dramatic increase in soil ESP at the shallow soil depths, although soil ESP increased significantly at deeper soil depths.  The degrees of soil pH and ESP increase under effluent water irrigation were greater at deeper than at shallow soil depths.