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 etation, reforestation type A, reforestation type B, bio-swales A and B, bio-retention, existing meadows, re-established meadows, sports fields, greenway and overflow parking. Each of these zones requires a record of vegetation management. Vegetation management in- cludes exotic removal, under-brushing, Bush hog mowing, raised canopy, landscape planting, turfgrasses, aeration, fertilization and weed management, trash collection and disposal as well as com- posting. The Educational Interface involves the Service Learning portion of our curriculum as the students have planted trees the past 2 years and removed exotic invasives. Several of our science courses get in- volved with the property during their curriculum requirements. We anticipate community signage along the greenway to educate the public about the storm water implementation and impacts to the environment. PHASING AND MONITORING Phasing and Monitoring has been rewarding. Phase one had to be accomplished within the first 2 years. It has included planting wild flowers in the re-established meadows, planting 2-inch caliper, 1-inch caliper and whip trees in priority locations as well as in- stalling 4 x 4-inch posts to define spaces that may be mowed and used regularly such as the sports fields and overflow parking. The posts also define the bio-retention areas so we could excavate and landscape them properly. Phase two would involve the completion of the reforestation areas over the next 8years. Our plan during this process calls for quarterly meetings with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimina- tion System (NPDES) staff. In addition we must submit an annual report summarizing our progress over the last calendar year and proposed implementation for the next calendar year. Some really impressive records have resulted from this whole ex- perience. I feel like we have a master plan for the entire property. This really helps define what we do and why. And that also helps me to transfer that information to other people such as our admin- istration, parents and the community. We now have a color map of our entire property defining the property lines, the rivers, the stream, the highway, buildings, parking lots, athletic fields, green- way, cross country course, the flood plain, floodway, floodway buffer, pond, tennis courts, the storm water outflows and all the management zones I mentioned. We have an aerial photo of our property with nine points marked where we have a photograph documenting conditions in 2009 and at each meeting we have with NPDES. We had two of our athletic fields moved and two others re- stricted to spring use. These four fields may not receive grading, drainage, underground irrigation or introduced bermudagrass. The same goes for the two grass overflow parking lots. We had already established bermudagrass on a fifth field and done some minor grading. We are able to keep the bermuda and install irrigation and drainage if we wish and have unlimited use. However, all the bleachers and ancillaries must be portable. We may not use synthetic fertilizers on any of these spaces and we are restricted to broadleaf weed control. Soil tests are required 34 SportsTurf | June 2011 for fertilization program dictation. Our overflow parking may only be used a certain number of times each year. We are required to allow the meadows to grow up all year long so that the root systems will grow deep. The deeper roots increase the field holding capacity of the flood plain soil. The infiltration slows the storm waters access to the rivers. This allows the rivers to not swell so quickly and han- dle the rain event with minimal flooding and erosion. The increase in hardscapes and direct drainage funnel more vol- umes of water to our rivers faster which increases flooding potential and erosion. By increasing water infiltration in our soils and in- creasing the soil field holding capacity we may slow down the storm water’s access to the rivers and help reduce the possibility of flooding. MOTHER NATURE’S 2 CENTS The irony of this plan is that we implemented it in February 2009 and Nashville experienced catastrophic flooding in May 2010. Eighty percent of our property flooded from our pond, stream and two rivers. Obviously this storm water was manifest not only from our property but all the properties contributing to the stream and two rivers. All of the athletic fields flooded with water levels of 10 feet or higher. The athletic building lower level flooded also. My home is located down river and I had more than 3 feet of river in the house. We had experienced 13.57 inches of rain May 1 and May 2. I tell you this because the storm water plan has been viewed it two different ways: 1) It obviously didn’t work because look what happened and, 2) This is exactly why we need to imple- ment this plan as soon as possible and encourage our neighbors to be more thoughtful about their storm water management. Difficulties may or may not be a part of our everyday life or even lifetime; however they will come. Preparation is the key in being able to manage and survive difficult challenges. The deeper the roots the better prepared we are to overcome the challenges. I find this to be true in human beings as well as plants, building foundations and histories of institutions and associations. I believe athletic fields may become leaders in storm water man- agement, water conservation and pollution filtration. Sod-produc- ing grass root systems are the best pollutant filters. Sports fields catch storm water from many stadiums and parking lots. Catching all subsurface drainage from the fields and air conditioning units and using it to irrigate our fields will help with water conservation. Using central control irrigation systems with flow meters, low vol- ume nozzles, heads that include check valves and flow stop options, and soil moisture sensors and weather stations also helps. Can you imagine leading your institution down the path of en- vironmental stewardship AND fiscal responsibility? How will you be received when offering your solutions as a problem solver? Do you know what rain gardens are? How about permeable concrete? Please consider offering your athletic fields as solutions rather than problems for the institution you serve. ■ Martin Kaufman, CSFM is head groundsman and sports field manager for Ensworth Schools in Nashville, TN and Secretary/Trea- surer of the Sports Turf Managers Association. www.sportsturfonline.com