Managing Golf Irrigation Pond in Virginia
Aquatic Weed and Algae Control Case Study
Location:
Williamsburg, VA
Project Timeframe:
2013 to present
Project Manager:
David Ellison, Director of Lake Management: South, Southwest and West
Key Staff:
Kyle Finerfrock, Environmental Scientist and Regional Leader
Derek Johnson, Lake Management Scientist, Fisheries & Wildlife Scientist and Certified Lake Manager
Site Description:
This property is a large community in Williamsburg, Virginia with single family homes surrounding a golf course. Multiple lakes and ponds are located throughout the community and golf course. The club’s pond is the primary irrigation source used for the golf course. The pond is relatively large for the area and has no source of aeration. The waterbody receives heavy nutrient loading as a result of golf course fertilization in the Spring and Fall, and filters a great deal of stormwater during rain events.
Scope of Work:
At times, more than half of the community’s pond would be covered in a mat of filamentous algae (Lyngbya wollei). The community contracted SOLitude to limit undesirable algae growth and map several lakes to determine the sedimentation rate since the ponds were constructed.
Project Description:
This pond received regular algaecide treatments that were ineffective at providing temporary or extended control of noxious growth. Eventually, after much experimentation, we found an effective algaecide recipe. The treatment initially controlled the noxious growth and then maintained growth control with regular additions of the combination. Through the integrated biological augmentation program, we successfully treated the lake while reducing our maintenance costs.
The environmentally sensitive aquatic products used effectively helped to break down the algae and prevent the nutrients from being utilized by the up and coming algae. More importantly, the client was extremely pleased to see that their pond was successfully cleared of algae for the entire season and that fewer chemicals were used during the treatments.
SOLitude also used GPS mapping software to create bathymetric maps and compared these maps to as-built plans to determine the total sediment in the pond and the sedimentation rate. The client was provided these maps and plans to use them for future dredging surveys.
Bathymetry Map:
