34 SportsTurf | October 2014 www.sportsturfonline.com
Irrigation & Drainage | By Mary Helen Sprecher
O
ne thing you can count on in construction of all
types of fields: there will be no shortage of decisions
to make. And for those who thought it would get
easier after they made the big decision of natural
grass vs. synthetic field—well, they've only scratched
the surface, so to speak.
If you've decided upon a natural grass field, the next big decision
awaiting you will be the following: should you go with a native soil
field or a sand-based system?
If this is all new, here's a quick recap: If you are building a natural grass
field, there are two basic types: native soil and sand-based:
A native soil field may be a true native field, which uses only the
soil found at the site, a modified native soil field, which includes the
introduction of amendments such as sand, peat, compost or porous
ceramics to provide a better growing medium and/or a more stable
base or a sand cap field, in which the top 2-6 inches (typically 2-4
inches) of soil is replaced with sand, either during construction or
over time.
A sand-based system, in which the native soil is completely removed
and replaced with an under drain system, a drainage media layer, prin-
cipally stone and rootzone material, principally sand.
Why is this so important? In one word: drainage. Of all the deci-
sions you will make with regard to your field, the drainage will be the
most essential. The field's ability to absorb water and move it off the
playing surface is what will allow it to remain healthy and usable. Nice
seating, a cool scoreboard, great concessions and locker rooms, even a
fully-equipped press box and facility-wide Wi-Fi are not going to mean
anything if the field is wet and muddy when game time rolls around.
Planning
for drainage
means deciding between
native soil and sand-based systems
"Sand-based fields, whether native or non-native, are usually always
advantageous," notes Mark Wrona of URS in Grand Rapids, MI.
