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/32290
Irrigation&Drainage | Martin Kaufman, CSFM Storm water management I HAD NOT THOUGHT MUCH ABOUT STORM WATER MANAGE- MENT before being charged with compliance at Ensworth School in 2009. Edu- cating myself on what it is, why it is important and what can be done has been challenging yet rewarding. We now have a 10- year plan to implement on our 127-acre campus in Nashville, TN. Our site description begins with the realization that the property was formerly a Devon cattle farm adjacent to the 2,000-acre Warner Park System with a state highway running through part of the property and separating us from a hous- ing subdivision adjacent to our property on the other side of the highway. We have two rivers bordering and joining in a cor- ner of our property and a blue- line stream that enters from the park parallel to the highway then splits the property running into the river. Identifying the storm water outflow from the now developed portion of our property begins the plan to manage storm water. All the catch basins in the parking lots, the down- spouts and the athletic fields feed into these outflows into the flood plain and floodway not to mention the floodway buffer. Yes, learning the terminology is part of the process. We have 48.5 acres of property in the floodway and floodway buffer bounded by the two rivers. Along the two rivers is a green- way easement coming from the park system and exiting our property to Exchange Club baseball and softball fields. In addition the floodway contains a TVA power line easement, city water-line easement and a gas line easement. Hawkins Partners, Inc., a landscape architecture firm, was employed to develop the plan. After our site description the area goals needed to be estab- lished. We developed six goals: • To educate the student population of the Ensworth School and the community re- garding the use, need and goals of storm water management practices. >> A MAP OF THE ENSWORTH SCHOOLS PROPERTY defining property lines, rivers, the stream, the highway, build- ings, parking lots, athletic fields, greenway, cross country course, the flood plain, floodway, floodway buffer, pond, tennis courts, the storm water outflows and all the management zones. • To accelerate the develop- ment of a diverse native vegeta- tive cover for long-term stream bank stabilization at the adja- cent river edge, to protect and enhance water quality and to provide wildlife habitat. • To promote native species and eliminate invasive exotic species. • To provide sports practice fields and cross country track opportunities while minimizing disturbance of grade and use of synthetic fertilizers. • To allow for access and vis- ibility between sports practice fields for safety purposes. Several of our science courses get involved with the property during their curriculum requirements. • To allow for access to the greenway within the greenway easement while providing a sense of separation from the privately owned and operated portions of the site. We previously had forested stream and river banks, open meadow and mown grass for athletic fields, cross country course and parking. All had been pasture land previous to our ownership. We had seeded tall fescue into the onions, iron- weed, golden rod, ragweed, and wild flowers where we were mowing. The stream banks had trees, river cane, and invasives such as privet and Japanese honeysuckle. The management zones cre- ated that I now keep records of use and cultural practices on separately are: stream bank veg- 32 SportsTurf | June 2011 www.sportsturfonline.com By