What does it take to keep the golf course in such great shape? WATER, and lots of it. The irrigation system for a golf course is nothing like the irrigation system for a residence. The proper maintenance of a course takes great care and expertise. We are so glad to have that base covered by the experts at Turf Tech Inc
Unlike residential irrigation that utilizes potable (fresh) water, the water used for Chimera’s irrigation system is a combination of fresh water and reclaimed water that is purchased from the City of Henderson. Reclaimed water is used to irrigate the fairways, roughs and the landscaping that is on a drip system. Only the tee boxes and greens are irrigated with fresh water. Reclaimed water makes up 85 percent of the irrigation water used and the remaining 15 percent uses fresh water.
Reclaimed and fresh water are two completely separate irrigation systems.
Reclaimed Irrigation:
The reclaimed water from the City of Henderson, Nevada fills the lakes adjacent to golf holes number one, nine and eighteen. The golfer just sees a beautiful lake also serving as a water hazard. The lakes hold between 12 and 13 million gallons of reclaimed water. This is enough reclaimed water to supply the course for five days should the supply of water ever be interrupted. The reclaimed water is supplied to Chimera through underground pipes connected directly to the water treatment plant.
How does the reclaimed water get from the lakes to the sprinklers? Through many miles of pipes and valves. The reclaimed water supplies a pump station from the lower lake. The pump house is well hidden and is located between holes sixteen’s green and seventeen’s tee box. 60,000 golfers a year pass by the pump house, and the vast majority don’t even know it is there. The pump house is designed with a Tuscan-style architecture that blends into Tuscany Village. Tile roof, stucco walls, stone accents, wood covered steel doors and even carved wood beams are used to make the pump house look like just another building in the community.
Inside the pump house are seven-60 horsepower pumps. At peak utilization, the station can produce 4,200 gallons of reclaimed water per minute at 110 psi to the irrigation system. Within the station there are two independent systems, a high zone and a low zone which are set at 120 psi and 100 psi, respectively. When the sprinklers are turned on in a zone, they draw pressure from the system. As the pressure begins to drop, a pressure gauge connected to the system detects this and automatically causes the high zone pumps to slowly ramp up, drawing more water ensuring that each zone is adequately supplied.
The pump station utilizes a state of the art Rain Bird computer control system that operates Rain Bird irrigation heads. An on-site weather station that ties into a computer assists in running the system. On a daily basis, the system downloads weather data which helps control over 2,500 sprinkler heads. Each and every sprinkler head is individually controlled by the computer, allowing them to be adjusted in real time.
Fresh Water Irrigation:
The fresh water system irrigating the tee boxes and greens is similar to the reclaimed system, just smaller. Next to the green on hole number eight is a fresh water storage lake that stores fresh water from the City of Henderson. It holds up to 1.2 million gallons, which is also a five day supply.
The fresh water supplies a pump station located in another pump house. Architecturally, the pump house is the same as that used for the reclaimed water which sits unnoticed between two residential homes adjacent to the lake.
The fresh water pump station is much smaller. It utilizes two-50 horsepower motors. At peak utilization, the station runs at 1,100 gallons per minute at 110 psi. The system works the same as the reclaimed water system. As sprinklers open, the pressure drops, automatically causing the pumps to ramp up to maintain the flow and pressure. The fresh water sprinkler heads are controlled by the same computer system utilized for the reclaimed water
The irrigation system at Chimera Golf Club is a complex system. Chimera Golf Club contracts Turf Tech Inc. to manage all of the course maintenance and the irrigation systems.
