SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/134296
Irrigation&Drainage | By Mary Helen Sprecher Update on drainage for new field construction W hen laying the groundwork (on paper, at least) for a new synthetic turf field, a new owner has the opportunity to create the field of his dreams. The array of options available can bump up the 'wow' factor of any facility, including upgraded seating, a press box, a high-tech scoreboard and facility-wide WiFi. So where does drainage come in? (crickets chirping) Unfortunately, because it's invisible (but still represents a significant investment) drainage just might fall to the bottom of the priority list if an owner isn't knowledgeable. But as field builders will be glad to point out, it doesn't matter how great the seats are, or how easy it is to stream 32 SportsTurf | June 2013 results or how nice the scoreboard is—if the field isn't draining well enough to be playable when the time comes. "It's important for field owners to take a long-term approach when it comes to construction," says Darby McCamy of Sporturf in Dalton, GA. "Even at the end of the turf 's useful life, when it is time to replace the field" says Ed Norton of Norton, Holcomb and Partners in Birmingham, AL, "the base and drainage system should still be functioning as they were designed to do." MORE THAN SURFACE DEEP Poor drainage is not just an aesthetic problem, nor is it simply a game-day issue. The usefulness of the THIS PHOTO, taken during construction of a sports field, shows piping at the entrance to the drainage chamber. Note the crushed rock beneath the pipe, which helps filter water vertically. All photos courtesy of Stantec, Boston, MA field and its long-term performance hinge on the dependability of the drainage system. When water remains on the subgrade for too long, it may cause the subgrade to become unstable and allow the base to move. It may even allow water to back up through the base and onto the surface, washing out the infill or stretching the carpet. WHAT FALLS ON THE SURFACE... Synthetic fields generally drain well, but not without help. Ideally, the only water to fall on the field should be rainwater or water put on by the irrigation/cooling system. Make sure water does not drain, run or drip onto the field from a track, or from bleachers, dugouts, overhangs that cover seating or any other source. Because water that enters the field in these ways may carry silt and other particulates, it has the potential, over time, to cause problems with the drainage system, and the playability, of the field itself. Site drainage; that is, the drainage that works around the outside of the field itself, may include interceptor drains, catch basins and retention ponds, as well as other measures used to harvest and disperse storm water. For now, though, the focus is on the subsurface drainage systems; that is, those that are installed beneath sports fields. An experienced field builder can advise an owner on www.sportsturfonline.com