This is the second in a series of stories The Times is publishing regarding water.

Today’s edition will discuss the irrigation water used for the golf courses in the town. There are significant challenges that go with using treated waste water for irrigating large areas of turf.

Golf is a big piece of the tourism attraction in Fountain Hills. There are four championship and highly regarded courses in the community, including the private FireRock Country Club.

The other three, Desert Canyon, Eagle Mountain and SunRidge Canyon all welcome visitors and keeping the courses in top condition is a priority.

Three of the four clubs in town obtain treated wastewater from the Fountain Hills Sanitary District for irrigation. Desert Canyon has its own well to provide irrigation water and receives nothing from the Sanitary District.

While the treated water from the district is clean, it comes with other issues that create maintenance challenges for the clubs that use it.

The water cycle that flows through the Sanitary District treatment facility includes water that has been through probably hundreds of water softening systems throughout the community, and that means it has been filtered through salt.

The Sanitary District treatment does not remove sodium from the water, so what goes out in irrigation water has very high sodium content. That is not conducive to healthy turf growth that keeps golf courses looking green.

Rather than consider the costly infrastructure that would remove sodium, the Sanitary District developed a program that will help the golf courses address the sodium issues on their own.

The district is providing the courses that receive effluent for irrigation a partial rebate in their effluent bill up to $45,000 in incremental, verifiable spending on turf projects.

“The Sanitary District has been a very good supporter of the golf courses,” said SunRidge Canyon owner Don Misheff.

“This has allowed us to do some things to mitigate our issues with sodium.”

Salt in the soil essentially chokes out the roots of the turf and water cannot get to the plant.

Misheff said the remediation efforts at SunRidge have been extensive, and it is an ongoing issue requiring repetition.

“You go five inches deep and you get to the layer of salt,” Misheff said.

The program has been in effect for a couple of years. At SunRidge they have been using 750 to 1,000 tons of topdressing in the fall at overseed and again for spring transition. This creates a new layer of soil for the grass to take root.

Misheff said they have also turned over their greens and re-sprigged them with new grass.

“This is ongoing as long as we are using effluent,” Misheff said.

“This is a highly competitive market, I don’t think we could do this without the help of the district.”

Eagle Mountain Golf Course Superintendent Joe Miller said he is using a two-pronged approach in an effort to improve the sodium-laden soil.

Miller said they are using gypsum and potassium products in an effort to break down the sodium. They are also using heavy aerification to allow for flushing the salt out of the soil. They use a top dressing with sand to help facilitate the flushing.

Eagle Mountain is increasing the frequency and depth of its aerification process, according to Miller.

This process basically punches holes in the ground, allowing for better circulation in flushing.

“Our equipment is working all the time,” Miller said.

“Most courses will aerify two or three times a year. We are doing it 12 to 18 times over a year.

“We are in an extreme situation, there are not too many golf clubs in the state with the problem of both bad soil and bad water.”

Miller said Scottsdale uses a reverse osmosis system in water treatment that removes the sodium. It is an expensive option, but with 20 golf courses in the city to help with the cost it is worthwhile.

Sanitary District Manager Ron Huber said the reverse osmosis is not only expensive equipment, the process creates a waste brine or sludge that needs disposal, adding to the challenge.

“[Club] management understands the challenge and has stepped up fiscally,” Miller said.

After two years they are seeing improvement in the turf. Soil is getting softer and water drains better.

“Sodium levels are going down and our weak areas are getting smaller and smaller,” Miller said.

“The homeowners appreciate it. This is their backyard, and it helps with real estate values.”