SportsTurf 31www.stma.org

tion and explaining the data. Figure 1 is thefirst page of the report, and Sections 1 to 3are found on page 1. Figure 2 is the secondpage of the report, and Sections 4 and 5 arefound on page 2.

Section 1: Basic information regardingwhen and where the test was performed.Also included are the weather conditionsduring testing.

Section 2: This section has summaries oftesting performed and test results. This isthe heart of the test report, and containsthe information that will likely be of mostinterest to sports turf managers.

• Testing Method: Testing is typicallyperformed according to guidelines detailedin ASTM F1936. F1936 provides specifi-cations for equipment to be used, how andwhere tests are to be performed, and fieldperformance requirements.

• Point: Testing points refer to locationson the field where test measurements areperformed. Different locations are speci-fied per ASTM F1936 for different types offields (football, soccer, lacrosse, etc.). Typi-cally eight test points are specified by themethod and two additional points aretested at the discretion of our field techni-cian. If desired, additional points can alsobe tested and reported.

• Total Depth and Infill Depth: This in-formation can provide insight for evaluatingproblems or trouble areas. Depths are typi-cally not mandated, but turf manufacturerspecifications often indicate acceptable fiberlengths, infill material, and infill depths.Total Depth is the depth from the top ofthe turf to the backing (synthetic fields) orsoil (natural turf fields). Worn or lost turfcan cause a harder or softer field and impactperformance. Infill Depth is the depth ofinfill materials that are between the turffibers. Infill is used to provide desired play-ing conditions, and can act to protect turffibers. Typical infill materials include sand,rubber, and other materials. Most, but notall, synthetic fields have infill material. Un-even infill depths can lead to varying hard-ness and performance. Loss of infill mayalso lead to turf damage, and is a significantcause of variance in field performance.

• Gmax is the maximum value of G en-countered during an impact. G is the ratioof magnitude of missile acceleration duringimpact to the acceleration of gravity, ex-

pressed in the same units (G, being a ratio,is unit less). The number reported here isthe average of the second and third drop ateach test point. The maximum impact levelof <200 average Gmax, has been acceptedby the U.S. Consumer Product SafetyCommission. ASTM F1936 states that:“According to historical data, the value of200G is considered to be a maximumthreshold. Values of 200 Gmax and aboveare considered values at which life threaten-ing head injuries maybe expected to occur.”Project specifications may require a lowermaximum impact level. For example, manyexperts recommend Gmax values no higherthan 170 on fields where sports withouthelmets are played.

• Vo fps: impact velocity, velocity of themissile (in feet per second) as it impacts thesurface of the field. This is not a measure-ment of the turf, but an indicator ofwhether test was performed properly. If im-pact velocity is not acceptable our fieldtechnician will rerun tests at the test point.

• Tmax ms: time (milliseconds) to im-

pact maximum (Gmax). Used in calcula-tions for Head Injury Criterion.

Section 3: Statements regarding whetherGmax results are less than 200 and that re-port reflects condition of field. Signed byfield technician.

Section 4: Same as section 1. Basic in-formation regarding when and where thetest was performed, at the top of page 2.

Section 5: Test results from the individ-ual test drops at each test point.

• Test point location and individual testresults with the average (2nd and 3rddrops) are reported for Gmax and Vo fps(impact velocity).

• Drop height is 2 feet. This is the dis-tance that the test missile is dropped dur-ing the test procedure. ASTM F1936states: “The test method incorporated intothis specification (Procedure A of TestMethod F355), has been used to test theimpact attenuation of athletic fields forover 30 years. The development of this 2-ftfall-height method can be traced back tothe Ford and GM crash-dummy tests of

32 SportsTurf | March 2012 www.sportsturfonline.com

Facility&Operations

the 1960’s, medical research papers fromthe 1960’s and 1970’s, and a NorthwesternUniversity study in which an accelerometerwas fixed to the helmet of a middle line

backer to measure impacts received duringactual play. This study found the typicalhead-impact to be 40 ft/lb, which is equiva-lent to the impact generated by dropping a20 lb missile from a height of 2 feet, the re-quirement specified in Procedure A of TestMethod F 355.”

• Head Injury Criterion (HIC) is ameasure of the likelihood of head injuryarising from an impact. HIC is a measure-ment of impact severity based on publishedresearch describing the relationship betweenthe magnitude and duration of impact ac-celerations and the risk of head trauma. Atthe 2012 STMA Conference, Dr. AndyMcNitt of Pennsylvania State University in-dicated a near perfect correlation betweenGmax and HIC for sports fields (i.e. highGmax = high HIC; low Gmax = low HIC).HIC is used to assess safety related to vehi-cles, personal protective gear, and sportequipment. Because there is limited re-search regarding sports fields, data from theauto industry and others is used to provideinsight into injury risk. The higher the HIC

value, the greater the risk of injury (see Fig-ure 3 below).

Turf Diagnostics believes that the Gmaxvalues should be the key indicator of fieldhardness for the turf manager. Individualtest points with Gmax above 200 or aGmax average of greater than 170 for theentire field suggest that maintenance prac-tices, such as grooming and topdressing, arerequired.

We also believe that the field managershould pay particular attention to infilldepth. For consistency in play, infill depthshould be uniform over the entire field.Changes to infill depth over time shouldalso be noted. Infill depth tends to de-crease over time and should be replenishedas part of a synthetic turf maintenanceprogram. ■

Sam Ferro is the president of Turf Diagnos-tics & Design, which performs field hardnesstesting on fields throughout the US as well astesting of soils, sands, aggregates and amend-ments for natural and synthetic turf fields.

>> Turf Diagnostics technician measuring fieldtemperature and infill depth as part of a fieldevaluation.

SportsTurf 33www.stma.org

Answers from page 17These marks on this soccer field are obviously tire tracks, but how theygot there is the real story. In this part of the world, soccer is a nationalsport. In early November, this soccer complex had a freezing rain followedby several inches of snow. The field club was faced with a situation wherea game had to be played on this stadium field within the next couple daysand the snow had to be removed. The Sports Turf manager advised theclub against clearing the snow; it was not until after they saw the dam-age that they truly understood why! Since the turf had received ice first,the snow removal began with shovels and the pieces came out likeblocks if lifted carefully as not to damage the grass. These blocks werethen loaded onto a trailer pulled by a small tractor and removed fromthe field at the only access gate causing the tire damage seen in thephoto. Once the Sports Turf Manager saw that the tires were startedto damage the grass, this operation was stopped immediately. Sincethe air temperatures were now above freezing, it was decided to usethe rounded edges of an upside down springbok rake to aerate andbreak up the snow, allowing the sun and air to melt on its own. It workedperfectly and the since the damage was caught early, it was minimal.

Photo submitted by Phil Sharples, owner of Technical Turf ConsultingLtd and contracted as Stadium & Surfaces Director at Gabala Field Clublocated in Qabala, Azerbaijan and now at Galatasaray FC in Turkey.

John Mascaro’s Photo Quiz

If you would like to submit a photograph for JohnMascaro’s Photo Quiz please send it to John Mas-caro, 1471 Capital Circle NW, Ste # 13, Tallahassee,FL 32303 call (850) 580-4026 or email to john@turf-tec.com. If your photograph is selected, you will re-ceive full credit. All photos submitted will becomeproperty of SportsTurf magazine and the Sports TurfManagers Association.

Agronomists generally do not play the rolesof economist, diplomat, or soldier. We can,however, try to educate, and sometimes thetopics we broach have large consequences.The use of recycled or reclaimed water is, I be-lieve, such a topic. And considering the criticalwater needs of today’s world, I would like to as-sign to recycled water the term PurpleGold, after the color officially used to designateall equipment contacting it.

Having worked with this resource for over30 years, evaluating its potential for turfgrassand landscape irrigation, I have witnessed itsquality increase significantly. As quality has in-creased, both the value and the use of recycledwater have also risen dramatically. I believe re-cycled water, already deserving of the namePurple Gold, will be recognized as such society-wide in the near future. Already, in the face ofincreasingly common drought, habitat erosion,and the escalating cost of potable water, recy-cled water is the Purple Gold of urban land-scape irrigation. In light of recycled water’simportance, a review of its qualities and of themanagement practices needed to use it success-fully is in order.

Although three-quarters of the earth’s sur-face is covered with water, only a minute frac-tion of all the water on earth is both readilyavailable and of sufficient quality to be suitablefor human use, including irrigation of agricul-tural crops and landscape plants. In fact, it is es-timated that only 0.02% of all water on earth isfresh and immediately available, i.e., could beused with relative ease and with minimal energyinput and expense. That small fraction of earth’swater includes rain and snow-melt stored inlakes and reservoirs, as well as water available inrivers. More than 99% of earth’s water is in itsoceans or locked in polar ice caps and glaciers.Converting water from these sources to potableform is highly energy-dependent and expensive.Yet fresh surface and ground water together arebeing rapidly depleted due to industrial and

agricultural use and direct human consump-tion. Population growth accelerates and exacer-bates the potable water scarcity.

In most cases, turf and landscape irrigationis not a priority for municipalities duringdroughts. Severe restrictions on turfgrass andlandscape irrigation during droughts are com-mon, including complete shutdown of golfcourse or park irrigation. Irrigation with recy-cled water is therefore a viable means of copingwith drought, water shortages, and/or the risingcost of potable water. Currently, large volumesof recycled water are used to irrigate golfcourses, parks, roadsides, landscapes, cemeter-ies, athletic fields, sod production farms, andother landscape sites. Interest in recycled waterirrigation also increases as more and better-quality treated sewage water becomes available.

Today, most sewage treatment plants pro-duce high-quality recycled water suitable (as faras human-pathogen content is concerned) foradditional uses such as golf courses, parks, ath-letic fields, and other urban landscape sites. Incertain southwest desert areas of the UnitedStates, most golf courses (and associated land-scapes) may use only recycled (or other de-graded-quality) water for irrigation. In a largercontext, recycled water is now the irrigationsource for approximately 15% of US golfcourses and close to 35% of courses in south-western states. These figures are rapidly increas-ing, as are those for all other commercial,institutional, and industrial sites irrigated withrecycled water.

“Recycled water” refers to water that has un-dergone one cycle of (human) use and then re-ceived significant treatment at a sewagetreatment plant to be made suitable for variousreuse purposes, including turfgrass irrigation.Several other terms are also used for recycledwater, among them: reclaimed water, reusewastewater, effluent water, and treated sewagewater. Sewage treatment takes raw sewage withall of its suspended matter and pathogenic or-

ganisms and converts it into clear, reclaimedwater that looks as good to the human eye asany potable water. In almost all cases, recycledwater is thoroughly disinfected before leavingthe treatment plant. Disinfection greatly re-duces (or entirely eliminates) the human dis-ease-causing organisms and expands theirrigation uses of recycled water.

However, “dissolved” solids (salts) still re-main and are of concern if the water is to beused for irrigation. It is technically possible toremove all of the dissolved salts from sewagewater, using techniques such as reverse osmosis.Reverse osmosis, in fact, is used on a small scaleat a few golf courses to remove almost all dis-solved solids from water. However, the expenseis such that very few treatment plants in theworld currently use it. Therefore, most of therecycled water available for irrigation is onlytertiary treated and may contain high concen-tration of salts.

Turfgrass is particularly well suited to irriga-tion with recycled water. Among landscapeplants, turfgrasses can absorb relatively largeamounts of nitrogen and other nutrients oftenfound in elevated quantities in recycled water, acharacteristic that may greatly decrease the oddsof groundwater contamination by recycledwater. Equally important, turfgrass plantingsare generally permanent and their growth iscontinuous, providing a stable need for contin-uously produced recycled water. Presently, mostof the turfgrass irrigated with recycled watergrows on golf courses. However, recycled waterirrigation is increasing on sports fields, in parks,on many industrial and institutional landscapes,and on sod production farms.

Most municipalities require signage (usuallycolored purple) to inform the public of thepresence of recycled water. These efforts are in-tended to prevent anyone from ingesting orotherwise using the water directly, to avoid anyrisk, however slight, of contact with humanpathogens. The color purple is now broadly ac-cepted as the official color for recycled waterconveyance equipment. Almost all irrigationsystem components are now available in purple,including pipes, sprinkler heads, valves, and ir-rigation boxes.

POTENTIAL CHALLENGESDespite sound reasons for using recycled

water for turfgrass irrigation, there are legiti-mate concerns about possible injury to turfgrassand other landscape plants due to the salt con-tent and other characteristics of reclaimedwater. During irrigation, dissolved salts andother chemical constituents move with waterinto the plant rootzone. Recognizing the prob-

34 SportsTurf | March 2012 www.sportsturfonline.com

Irrigation&Drainage | By Dr. M. Ali Harivandi

A contemporary view of recycled water irrigation

Most of us are familiar with the term “Black Gold” as anothername for oil, and we may have heard of “Blue Gold” used insome quarters in reference to water. Without question, human-ity is polluting and wasting water even as its need for watergrows with increasing population. Thus, just as it appears that

wars today are fought over oil, future wars may be fought over water.

SportsTurf 35www.stma.org

lems that may arise from this and understanding their remedies allow tur-fgrass managers to make use of this valuable irrigation resource, the Pur-ple Gold, in spite of potential challenges.

Recycled waters usually contain higher amounts of dissolved salts thanmost other irrigation water sources. Salt accumulation in the soil is themost common concern. Ordinarily, a long period of irrigation passes be-fore salt builds up in the soil enough to actually injure plants. Besidessaline irrigation water, insufficient natural precipitation, inadequate irriga-tion, and poor drainage all increase the likelihood of creating saline soilconditions.

Generally, salinity becomes a problem for turfgrass when the totalquantity of soluble salt in the rootzone is high. The rate at which salts ac-cumulate to these levels in a soil depends on their concentration in the ir-rigation water, the amount of water applied annually, annualprecipitation, and the soil’s physical and chemical characteristics. Oncerootzone salinity builds to harmful levels, several problems may occur.Salinity may inhibit water absorption by plant roots (due to the high os-motic potential of the soil water solution) and cause plants to appeardrought stressed despite the presence of adequate water within the root-zone. For such osmotic stress symptoms, the term physiological droughtis often used. High salinity can also cause some ions (e.g., sodium) to beabsorbed by the plant in high enough quantities to cause tissue burn or tocompete with other essential elements, creating nutritional imbalances. Inmost cases, injury caused by high water/soil salinity is due to a combina-tion of these factors.

If the amount of water applied to turf (irrigation plus precipitation) is

higher than evapotranspiration and drainage is provided, then salt move-ment is downward. Conversely, salt movement is upward if evapotranspi-ration exceeds water applied. In the latter case, salt drawn to the surfacegradually accumulates to levels toxic to turfgrasses and other plants. Diag-nosing water/soil salinity problems always begins with chemical analysisof the irrigation water and soil.

Generally, waters of acceptable quality for turfgrass irrigation haveelectrical conductivities of less than 0.7 dS/m. Waters with soluble saltlevels above 3 dS/m may injure turfgrass and are not recommended for ir-rigation. Recycled irrigation water with salt levels up to 3 dS/m may betolerated by some turfgrass species, but only on soils with good perme-ability and subsoil drainage, which allow a turfgrass manager to leach ex-cessive salt from the rootzone by periodic heavy irrigations.

For agronomic purposes, in addition to salinity, recycled waters mustalso be evaluated for their sodium, chloride, boron, bicarbonate, and nu-trient content, as well as pH and suspended matter. Each of these ele-ments affects plant growth. Managers can request that labs test theirsamples for the specific elements they know are likely to cause injury toplants. With test results in hand, managers use published guidelines to de-termine if their conditions are problematic and, if so, in what way.

Sodium content is as important to recycled water quality as salinity.Although sodium can be directly toxic to plants, its most frequent delete-rious effects on plant growth are indirect through its effect on soil struc-ture. The high sodium content common to recycled water can causedeflocculation (dispersion) of soil clay particles or breakdown of soilstructure, reducing soil aeration and water infiltration and percolation.

36 SportsTurf | March 2012 www.sportsturfonline.com

Irrigation&Drainage

Waterlogging and soil compaction are common results of excess sodium.In such conditions, direct sodium toxicity may also eventually occur.

Because calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) flocculate clay particles,while sodium disperses them, the ratio of these elements to each other inirrigation water provides a measure of likely soil permeability resultingfrom irrigation with a particular water. That said, the effect of sodium onsoil particle dispersion (i.e., permeability) is counteracted by high elec-trolyte (soluble salts). Thus, the likely effect of a particular irrigationwater on soil permeability is best gauged by assessing the water’s SAR incombination with its ECw.

Recycled waters usually contain a wide variety of other elements insmall concentrations. Some of these elements are toxic to turfgrasses andother plants if they accumulate in the soil to sufficient levels. The mostcommon toxicities are due to accumulations of sodium, chloride, andboron. Plant roots absorb sodium and transport it to leaves, where it canaccumulate and cause injury. Symptoms of sodium toxicity resemblethose of salt burn on leaves. Sodium toxicity is often of more concern onplants other than turfgrasses, primarily because accumulated sodium isremoved every time grass is mowed.

Chloride (Cl), in addition to contributing to the total soluble saltcontent of irrigation water, is another ion that may be directly toxic tolandscape plants. Although not particularly toxic to turfgrasses, it affectsmany trees, shrubs, and ground covers. In sensitive plants, chloride toxic-ity causes leaf margin scorch in minor cases and total leaf kill and abscis-sion in severe situations. Fortunately, chloride salts are quite soluble andthus may be leached from well-drained soils with good subsurfacedrainage.

Recycled water may also contain boron (B), a micronutrient essentialfor plant growth in very small quantities. Injury from excess B is mostobvious as necrosis on the margins of older leaves. Turfgrasses are moretolerant of boron than any other plants grown in the landscape.

pH, a measure of acidity, is valued on a scale of 0 to 14. Water pH iseasily determined and provides useful information about water’s chemicalproperties. Although seldom a problem in itself, a very high or low pHindicates that water needs evaluation for other constituents. On the pHscale, pH 7 represents neutral (i.e., water with a pH of 7 is neither acidicnor alkaline.) Moving from pH 7 to pH 0, water is increasingly acidic;moving from pH 7 to pH 14, water is increasingly basic (or “alkaline”).The desirable soil pH for most turfgrasses is 5.5 to 7.0; the pH of mostirrigation water, however, ranges from 6.5 to 8.4. Depending on the soilon which grass is grown, an irrigation water pH range of 6.5-7 is desir-able. Recycled water with a pH outside the desirable range must be eval-uated for other chemical constituents.

The bicarbonate (HCO3) and, to a lesser degree, carbonate (CO3)content of recycled irrigation water also deserves careful evaluation. Recy-cled waters are especially prone to excessive levels of bicarbonate. Highbicarbonate levels in irrigation water increase soil pH and may affect soilpermeability; combining with calcium and/or magnesium, bicarbonateprecipitates as calcium and/or magnesium carbonate, both of which in-crease the SAR of the soil solution.

Generally, recycled water with an RSC value of 1.25 meq/L or loweris safe for irrigation, water with an RSC between 1.25 and 2.5 meq/L ismarginal, and water with an RSC of 2.5 meq/L and above is probablynot suitable for irrigation.

Recycled water can also be high in nutrients, whose economic valuemay be an important consideration. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potas-sium, all of which are essential to turfgrass growth, are the primary nutri-ents present in most recycled waters. Even if the quantities of nutrients ina given recycled water are small, they are efficiently used by turfgrass be-cause they are applied frequently and regularly. In most cases, turf obtains

all the phosphorus and potassium and a large part of the nitrogen itneeds from recycled water. Sufficient micronutrients are also supplied bymost recycled waters. Water chemical analysis must therefore be thor-oughly evaluated to determine the kind and amount of each nutrient ap-plied through irrigation; the turf ’s fertility program can then be adjustedaccordingly. Most agricultural testing laboratories will provide the nutri-tional contents of recycled water upon request.

Recycled water quality varies significantly among sewage treatmentplants as well as on a seasonal basis, and it must be analyzed individuallyand regularly. There are very few recycled water sources that are ab-solutely unsuitable for turfgrass irrigation. Furthermore, the nature andmagnitude of potential problems with a specific water will depend on itsinteraction with climate and soil chemistry and physics.

Soil physical characteristics and drainage both play important roles indetermining a rootzone’s ability to handle salinity. Soil characteristicsmust be evaluated along with water quality to determine if irrigation-in-duced problems are likely. Fine-textured soils (clays) are more likely to ac-cumulate salts than coarse-textured soils (sands). Also, layering in therootzone that interferes with drainage (and therefore salt leaching) canlead to water-induced plant injury despite irrigating with seemingly ac-ceptable recycled water. In other words, lack of drainage leads to saltbuildup. Soils already saline or sodic are obviously more likely to con-tribute to salinity injury due to recycled water irrigation, regardless oftheir drainage characteristics. Application of excessive fertilizer can alsocontribute to the salt load and may create salinity problems where the saltload from recycled water alone may not be high enough to cause damage.

POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS If water salinity, sodium, and other chemical components are poten-

tial problems, management is key to agronomic success. Following is alist of management practices that can be used to address potential recy-cled water irrigation challenges.

Select salt-tolerant turfgrass species. If salinity problems are ex-pected with recycled water irrigation, salt-tolerant grass species should beconsidered for planting. Salt tolerance of turfgrasses is usually expressedin relation to the salt content of the soil. Soils with an ECe below 3 dS/mare considered satisfactory for growing most turfgrasses; soils with anECe between 3 and 10 dS/m can support a few moderately salt-tolerantturfgrass species, while soils with an ECe higher than 10 dS/m will sup-port only very salt-tolerant grasses.

Apply extra water to leach excess salts below the turfgrass rootzone.Extra irrigation water needed to leach salts below the turfgrass rootzone,thus preventing salt buildup to toxic levels, is referred to as the leachingrequirement or fraction.

A leaching requirement is based on the recycled water’s salt contentand the salt tolerance levels of the grass (expressed in ECe) at the site. Forexample, if a turfgrass species with salt tolerance of not more than 2.5dS/m is irrigated with a recycled water with an electrical conductivity of1.2 dS/m, 10% more water than is dictated by evapotranspiration alonemust be applied to leach salts out of the rootzone.

Any changes in a system’s input, such as rainfall, can affect theamount of water that must be applied for leaching. As the Leaching Re-quirement increases (and therefore more salt leaching occurs), salt accu-mulation in the rootzone decreases. As a result, highly saline recycledwater may be used successfully for irrigation in high rainfall areas, whilethe same water may cause severe salinity damage to turfgrasses in aridand semi-arid locations.

Provide drainage. Clearly, successful leaching requires adequatedrainage. In all cases where recycled water is used for irrigation, gooddrainage is essential. Drainage can be natural or can be improved by in-

SportsTurf 37www.stma.org

stalling tile drains. An example of a site where drainage must be im-proved: a golf course with greens built on modified native soils (i.e., push-up greens) converting to recycled water for irrigation. The course caneither rebuild greens on a sand-based rootzone mix or install an effectivedrainage system to provide for salt leaching. The objective is to keep per-colated saline water below the turfgrass rootzone.

Modify management practices. Certain management practices mayalleviate the deleterious effects of salinity. On golf greens, especially, re-ducing or removing accumulated surface organic matter (thatch) is crucialunder recycled water irrigation. Thatch and mat layers stop the flow ofwater (and salts) through the soil and impede leaching of salts. On golfgreens with a uniform rootzone profile, drainage is often adequate for saltleaching. However, if a given golf green rootzone profile indicates exces-sive organic matter (thatch) accumulation or, worse, the existence of alayering problem within the soil profile, then every effort must be em-ployed to remove thatch or eliminate layering prior to the initiation of re-cycled water irrigation. Aeration (particularly useful on golf course greensand sports fields) punches through impermeable layers, facilitating fasterand better water movement through the soil profile. Aerators remove soilcores at regular intervals. Cores should be removed from the soil surfaceof golf greens and similar specialty turf, and holes should be topdressedwith sand. Often, just spreading sand over the aerated surface fails to fillthe holes. Sweeping, brushing, or blowing sand into the holes left by aera-tion ensures optimum sand application. Holes should be filled all the wayto the soil surface to provide channels for water percolation through thelayers of sand/organic matter.

Modify the rootzone mixture. Where turfgrasses are grown on soils

with minimal natural drainage (e.g., heavy clay soils, soils with a hard panor clay pan) and recycled irrigation water is high in salts or sodium, totalmodification of the rootzone mixture may be necessary. Sand-based golfgreens or sports fields generally drain well and can tolerate recycled watersthat may be too saline for irrigation on heavy clay or compacted soils.

Blend irrigation waters. Frequently, poor-quality water can be usedfor irrigation if better-quality water is available for blending. The two wa-ters can be pumped into a reservoir to mix them before irrigation. Al-though the resulting salinity will vary according to the type of saltspresent and climatic conditions, water quality should improve in propor-tion to the mixing ratio.

Use amendments. Applying soil and water amendments, such as gyp-sum (calcium sulfate), calcium chloride, sulfur, and sulfuric or N-phuricacids, can aid in reducing the negative effects of sodium and bicarbonate.They may also help with improving water/soil pH and partially help withsalinity control. These amendments increase the soil supply of calcium,either directly, as in the case of gypsum and calcium chloride, or indi-rectly, as in the case of sulfur and sulfuric or N-phuric acids. Sulfur andsulfur-containing fertilizers applied to soils naturally high in calcium maymake calcium more soluble. Once available, calcium can then replacesodium on clay particles, preventing excess sodium accumulation. Subse-quent leaching will flush sodium salts out of the rootzone. The amount ofsulfur amendment required depends on a soil’s sodium content, SAR ofthe irrigation water, the quantity of water applied, soil texture, and typeof amendment.

The impact of bicarbonate on pH may also be reduced by applying anacidifying fertilizer, such as ammonium sulfate, as part of a regular fertil-

Continued on page 49

F.O.Y.F i e l d o f t h e Y e a r

www.sportsturfonline.com38 SportsTurf | March 2012

SIMMONS FIELDOriginal construction date: 1949 Size: 58,935 sq. ft. Other uses: Winter Carnival, traveling

Vietnam Memorial Wall, 2010 staff softballgame, July 4th Police vs. Fire Dept. softballgame and fall soccer

Variety(s) of turfgrass(es): Kentuckybluegrass and perennial ryegrass

Overseed: Overseed infield and outfield inthe late summer to early fall (August 15) at arate of 2-3 lbs./1,000 sq. ft. of Athletic seedmix 60/40. 20% Rugby II Kentucky Blue-grass(KBG), 20% Geronimo KBG, 20% Ap-palachian KBG, 20% Patriot 4 PerennialRyegrass and 20% Keystone 2 Perennial Rye-grass. Application method for the infields in-cludes core aerating followed by broadcastingseed with a rotary EarthWay spreader, setting#14. The outfield is aerated and seeded with153 lbs. of grass seed mix.

Mix composition: 37% Sand 63% other Other mix: 32% Silt, 31% ClayDrainage: No system

Recent renovations: Renovated in past 2years. Inspected and replaced base pegs, pitch-ing rubber, home plate, pitching mound re-pair, added clay/soil conditioner, addedcrushed limestone screenings to coachesboxes, players benches and bleachers, aerated,overseeded, sodded worn areas, fertilized,rolled up foul ball nets, removed bad soil,filled tire ruts, replaced batting circles, re-paired fences, and edged the clay infield,coaches boxes and warning track.

Why was the field renovated?The field is renovated each fall after ath-

letic activities but needed costly repairs in2010 after two diesel spills from trucks bring-ing heavy rides onto the field for NorthbrookDays, an annual 5-day community festival. In2011, heavy rains and flooding occurred atthe end of the festival, and tow trucks and anend loader were needed to remove the ridesthat were stuck on the field. The signaturefield is out of commission until the grass is es-tablished, next spring.

Challenges: A tremendous amount of

work is needed to maintain the Village Greenball field, the home of Northbrook Baseball(Little League) since the 1950s. The seasonnever really ends for the crew, who monitorthe field monthly, maintaining and replacingequipment as needed. Plans are set and train-ing occurs, preparing for another year of base-ball, softball and special events.

The challenges of getting the field readyare compounded by its other uses, includingNorthbrook Days. The Northbrook CivicFoundation holds that fundraising event inthe park every summer, with carnival rides onthe ball field. The 87th annual event attractedabout 55-thousand people, and heavy rainssoaked the field in 2011. The combination offoot traffic, weight of the rides and saturatedsoil caused major damage to the field. Towtrucks and a tractor had to drag the rides fromthe field, leaving tire ruts and mud everywhereand little turfgrass remaining.

The challenge to the crew was to continueits regular schedule, adding the required fieldrestoration. The crew had to sod 47% of the

Level of Submission: Schools/ParksCategory of Submission: Baseball Head Sports Turf Manager: MichaelBrouillard Title: Grounds ManagerEducation: Masters DegreeField of Study: Horticulture Sci-ence/Business Full Time Staff: Jorge Morales/CrewLeader, George Baumgardt/LeisureServices SupervisorStudents/Interns, Part-Time and Sea-sonal Staff: Salvador Gutierrez, JoseTorres, Isidro Gonzalez and RigobertoMendez

Village Green Park, Northbrook, IL Park District

www.stma.org SportsTurf 39

field that was torn up, using 2,650 rolls of sodand 107 cubic yards of soil to fill the tire ruts.For aesthetic reasons, the field had to be fin-ished before the next park event, five weekslater.

Another challenge came from NorthbrookDays in 2010, when there were two dieselspills on the field. The cleanup cost $45,080plus another $2,210 in restoration costs forthe field. About 30% of the annual materialsbudget was spent renovating the field, in ad-dition to the cost of the cleanup. As a precau-tion, the grounds crew prepared a spill kit tohave on-site this year.

To protect the turfgrass, the Park Districtbought 80 turf mats for $16,000 and borrowedanother 75 this year. Because of the rains, themats became covered in mud and did little, ifanything, to protect the turfgrass. Removingthe mats was difficult, since the mud added totheir weight of 84 pounds. They had to bepried from the ground and pressure washed.

Another challenge this year was removingas much of the water as possible to dry thefield before the repair work could begin. Thesignature field is out of commission until theturfgrass is reestablished, forcing fall soccergames to be played on other fields, for thesecond year in a row.

SportsTurf: What channels of communi-cation do you use to reach coaches, adminis-trators and users of your facility? Any tips oncommunicating well?

Brouillard: The Northbrook Park Districthas a well thought-out communication planthat consists of printed material, email, textmessages, phone calls and website updates.One athletic supervisor schedules and coordi-nates use of the ball fields and serves as thecontact for customers, coaches, maintenancecrews and staff.

Each season, the Park District’s RecreationGuide and website provide initial informationabout scheduled field use. On a daily basis, Icommunicate field conditions to the athleticsupervisor by phone or email, by 7am onweekends and 2pm on weekdays. We recordfield conditions and cancellations on aweather hotline that customers can call, weupdate game schedules on our website, wesend text messages to reach coaches, and wenotify parents or players by email.

Throughout the year, the Parks and LeisureServices Departments meet bi-weekly to shareinformation and determine how to best serveour customers’ needs. I also meet with the ath-letic supervisor before a tournament to discusspreparation schedules and special requests.

After leagues and recreation programs end,the Park District sends surveys to participantsto capture feedback as part of our commit-ment to providing outstanding programs andservices. To promote environmental steward-ship and reduce the use of paper, we conductour surveys online. The District also conductsin-house surveys to measure internal customersatisfaction; the results show how well eachdepartment is doing and which areas needimprovement.

Feedback and follow-up are essential inhelping to improve our service delivery.Timely communication is critical for dissemi-nating information, ensuring accuracy, pro-viding customer service and buildingrelationships.

SportsTurf: What are your specific job re-sponsibilities? What do find most enjoyable?What task is your least favorite and why?

Brouillard: My job consists of directingthe day-to-day grounds operations with about16-20 part-time and seasonal employees. Myresponsibilities include the management of allDistrict grounds; maintenance of athleticfields, trees, prairie and outdoor ice rinks; sea-sonal flower and holiday light displays; specialevent setup (tents, picnic tables and trash

www.sportsturfonline.com

JANUARYThe Crew Leader completes the routine

Monthly Athletic Field inspection and checks thenets for any loads of snow or ice. FEBRUARY

The Crew Leader completes the routineMonthly Athletic Field inspection and checks thenets for any loads of snow or ice. EQUIPMENT:Before the season starts, the mechanics begingoing through the equipment to get it ready.MARCH

Routine Monthly Athletic Field inspectionand inspection of bleachers. SPRING FIELDSETUP: On March 30, the athletic crew com-pletes the spring setup on the baseball field. Thesetup consists of setting out the pitching nets,raising the foul ball nets, rolling the field, paint-ing the foul ball lines, cleaning the dugouts, andputting out the trash and recycling cans.APRIL

Routine Monthly Athletic Field inspection.CORE AERATION: Due to the amount of trafficon the soil and the texture of our soil, the fieldwill be aerated 3 times per year - in April, August(after Northbrook Days) and October. MOWING:Start mowing for 28 weeks, twice per week asneeded. SOIL TEST: Test soil before fertilizing.

The following is a list of items to completeduring each field prep for a game: Water the in-

field using a 1” garden hose to moisten the clay,fill the holes, drag the clay infield and the warn-ing track, expose the correct hollywoods, rakeedges, chalk lines, paint lines once per week inthe turfgrass, and pick up trash. MATERIALSUSED: 15 bags of calcined clay; 7 bags of chalkare used to mark the foul ball lines on the infield. MAY

Monthly athletic field inspection continues.FERTILIZATION: The fertilization of the athleticfield is divided into four applications of 25-0-5PCSCU turf fertilizer. The first application of 1 lb.Nitrogen will be in May 2011, followed by 1 lb. N inAug 2011 (after Northbrook Days), 1 lb. N in Sep-tember 2011 and 1 lb. N in November 2011. HER-BICIDES: A postemergent broadleaf systemicherbicide will be spot treated on the turfgrass tocontrol identified weeds listed on the label at theindicated application rate. A minimum of two ap-plications will be applied, the first in early May, fol-lowed by another application in September.Apply non-selective herbicide in other areas. IRRI-GATION START UP: Monthly adjustmentsthroughout the year. Prep for scheduled games.MATERIALS: 204 lbs of fertilizer used, Chalk 15bags, Paint 4 buckets, Calcined clay 15 bagsJUNE

Monthly athletic field inspection continues.IRRIGATION: Monthly adjustment and inspec-

tion. Prep for scheduled games. MATERIALS: Chalk14 bags, Paint 4 buckets, Calcined clay 10 bagsJULY

Monthly athletic field inspection continues. IR-RIGATION: Monthly adjustment and inspection.

Prep for scheduled games. MATERIALS: Chalk12 bags, Paint 4 buckets, Calcined clay 5 bagsAUGUST

Monthly athletic field inspection continues.IRRIGATION: Monthly adjustment and inspec-tion. FERTILIZATION: The fertilization of the ath-letic field is divided into four applications of25-0-5 PCSCU turf fertilizer. The first applicationof 1 lb. Nitrogen will be in May 2011, followed by1 lb. N in Aug 2011 (after Northbrook Days), 1 lb.N in September 2011 and 1 lb. N in November2011. The fertilizer will be applied with a rotaryEarthWay broadcast spreader, setting #16 or ascalibrated. OVERSEEDING: Overseed the lawn at2-3 lbs KBG/1,000 sq. ft. MATERIALS: 204 lbs offertilizer used, Calcined clay 5 bags, 153 lbs. grassseed / 60% KBG & 40% perennial ryegrass, & 107cu yds soilSEPTEMBER

Monthly athletic field inspection continued.Also, inspect fencing for budgeting for repairsnext year. IRRIGATION: Monthly adjustment andinspection. FERTILIZATION: The fertilization ofthe athletic field is broken out into four applica-tions of 25-0-5 PCSCU turf fertilizer. The first ap-plication of 1 lb. Nitrogen will be in May 2011,followed by 1 lb. N in Aug 2011 (after North-brook Days), 1 lb. N in September 2011 and 1 lb.N in November 2011. The fertilizer will be appliedusing a rotary EarthWay broadcast spreader, set-ting #16 or as calibrated. HERBICIDES: A poste-mergent broadleaf systemic herbicide will bespot treated on the turfgrass to control identi-fied weeds listed on the label at the indicatedapplication rate of 3 pints per acre. A minimumof two applications will be applied, the first inearly May followed by another application inSeptember. Apply non-selective herbicide. MA-TERIALS: 204 lbs of fertilizer used.OCTOBER

Monthly athletic field inspection continues.FALL FIELD RENOVATION: Repair worn areas,pick up lock boxes, pitching screens, trash cansand roll up the nets. IRRIGATION SHUT DOWN:Winterize the irrigation system to avoid freezing.MATERIALS: 44 Rolls of sod, 13 cu yds. of crushedlimestone screenings, 40 bags of calcined clayNOVEMBER

Monthly athletic field inspection continues.FERTILIZATION: The fertilization of the athleticfield is divided into four applications of 25-0-5PCSCU turf fertilizer. The first application of 1 lb.Nitrogen is in May 2011, followed by 1 lb. N inAugust 2011 (after Northbrook Days), 1 lb. N inSeptember 2011 and 1 lb. N in November 2011.The fertilizer will be applied with a rotary Earth-Way broadcast spreader, setting #16, or as cali-brated. 204 lbs fertilizer usedDECEMBER

Monthly athletic field inspection continues

Monthly maintenance and fertility programs

40 SportsTurf | March 2012

F.O.Y. | Simmons Field