Water Quality

GCSAA supports water quality protection laws and regulations that are based on sound science and credible data and promote the benefits of turfgrass and professionally managed landscapes. GCSAA supports the use of reclaimed, effluent or other non-potable water for golf course irrigation when the water quality is suitable for plant growth and there are no public health implications. GCSAA does not support mandated use of reclaimed water when the water quality or water quantity is not adequate, when use is not cost effective or when the golf course superintendent does not play a key role in the decision-making process for the development of effluent water standards.

Properly maintained turfgrass provides many community benefits including: critical "greenspaces"; habitat for birds and other wildlife; temperature buffer, recreational opportunities; capture of run-off pollutants in stormwater, and carbon sequestration and oxygen production. In addition, many entities, both public and private rely on healthy greenscapes such as golf courses as a key component in maintaining financial revenues.

GCSAA does not support Congress, EPA or the Army Corps of Engineers expanding the jurisdictional reach of the federal Clean Water Act. This would be an unprecedented expansion of the regulatory authority of the federal government. Expanded federal jurisdiction would pre-empt traditional state and local government authority over land and water use decisions and alter the balance of federal and state authority. Increased delays in securing permits will raise costs of and impede many economic activities. GCSAA supports efforts to protect the principles of cooperative federalism in the Clean Water Act and recognizes the role that golf course superintendents play as responsible stewards of water resources.

Water quality is a critical issue for golf facilities for both surface water and groundwater. Golf courses serve as an important water treatment system. Healthy turfgrass is a filter that traps and holds pollutants in place; golf courses serve as catch basins for residential and industrial runoff; many courses are effective disposal sites for effluent wastewater and have agreements with local municipalities for this purpose. Modern turfgrass management practices greatly reduce the potential for leaching or runoff into water supplies. Independent university research supports the fact that well-managed golf courses promote environmental quality for wildlife and human health.

Some areas of the U.S. require golf courses to use reclaimed, effluent or other non-potable water sources for irrigation and it is important there is access to water suitable for use on turfgrass. Many golf course superintendents monitor the water quality of streams and groundwater. Golf courses can also have a significant impact on groundwater recharge, especially in suburban areas. The turfgrass system acts as a living filter for reclaimed wastewater as measured by the leachate that percolates below the rootzone. This leachate helps with the recharging of aquifers.

The Clean Water Act gives the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers jurisdiction over “navigable waters,” which are defined as “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). Determining what constitutes a WOTUS significantly impacts golf course management: Nearly any activity that occurs in, over or near a WOTUS requires a federal NPDES permit, which can take years to obtain, is costly and can trigger large civil fines. The Supreme Court has attempted to define SCOTUS many times – what surface waters are federally protected, and which are protected by the states. The 2023 SCOTUS Sackett decision provided some clarity: Sackett limits federal wetlands to only those with “a continuous surface connection” to an existing WOTUS, i.e. the two must be “indistinguishable”. It reverses efforts to expand WOTUS to encompass a lot of waterways that are either isolated or rarely see water flowing through them. Under Sackett, only “a relatively permanent body of water” that connects to a “traditional interstate navigable water” is a WOTUS. GCSAA continues to work with federal regulators, members of Congress, and other impacted industries to ensure that Sackett is effectively implemented and that the definition of WOTUS remains clear, transparent, and respects the principles of cooperative federalism.