Jody, UR....More Being Reveiled About Golf Course Ponds!

HOLE #16

A few more questions that were asked regarding my IRP on Golf Courses impacts on the Aquatic Environment are as follows. Can you tell us more about the ponds and lakes created for golf courses? e.g., are there size and depths requirements? When they are created, are there steps taken to prevent groundwater seepage? Are they monitored for water quality? If so, for which parameters and how often? 
 I will answer these the best I can from my 20+ years of golf course construction experience and then with a little research.

BIRDSEYE VIEW

There are three main reasons reasons for ponds on golf courses. First as I stated in an earlier post they are in place to capture water (precipitation) to be used as irrigation, because purchasing water from a municipality for said would be cost prohibitive. Second the material (dirt) excavated from them is used throughout the rest of the course to give it it's topography, raised Tee's and Green's complexes and other undulations. These are set forth by the designer on a set of plans and followed by the contractor. And third as you can see by this picture (above left) of  hole #16 a par 3 at my course, they give the course character by adding visual aesthetics and also making play a little more challenging. The size, depth, and amount of ponds/lakes are usually set forth by the designer but site characteristics will usually nudge these specifications a bit.Take for example the the long pencil lake at the bottom center of the picture at left. That is our main lake and it is 11 acres. That is where our pump stations are that deliver the irrigation water to the other 120 grassed acres. I have no idea how deep it is to the bottom but at full pond we have five+ feet of water over our intake for the pumps. Lets see.... that's 17,921,640 gallons if it is five foot deep.  To be continued!