Let's debunk Sun City golf courses' water overuse
Sun City was built during a time when Arizona was considered to be the Wild West. The state population was a mere 1.3 million, and there was plenty of water to go around with few limitations on usage.
Golf courses were built with hundreds of acres of wall-to-wall grass and lakes were built with beauty in mind – with little regard for conservation. That was 1960.
Today, Arizonans are aware of the finite nature of our water resources, and Sun City and the Recreation Centers of Sun City, Inc. (RCSC), the owner and operator of all Sun City recreational facilities, are at the forefront of implementing water conservation measures.
Since 2006, RCSC has invested nearly $14 million in golf course water conservation projects, including turf reduction, irrigation upgrades and low water-use plant conversion. In addition, Recreation Centers of Sun City's board has approved a budget of an additional $20 million in similar projects, including the relining of its lake at a cost of $8 million.
Sun City and the centers are not taking water conservation lightly.
Sun City is replacing turf, aging irrigation
From 2004 to 2010, RCSC’s golf courses underused their Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) water allocation by an average of 133.94 acre-feet per year. However, the centers was seeing increased water usage from their Lakes East golf course well.
After an engineering study was completed, it was determined that the RCSC Viewpoint Lake, which stores irrigation water for RCSC golf courses, was leaking. The repair estimate was more than $9 million, which RCSC did not have.
Special report: Arizona golf courses use way more water than they're allotted
As a result, a request for administrative relief was submitted to ADWR, who in turn granted the relief. This allowed Recreation Centers of Sun Cityto exceed its ADWR water allocation with no penalty, provided that a plan was developed to continue water conservation.
Today RCSC has saved enough funds to reline Viewpoint Lake with construction expected to be complete by 2023. In addition, RCSC has budgeted numerous conservation projects, including the reduction of more than 200 acres of turf, the replacement of the remaining, aging irrigation systems and the replacement of current Bermuda grass with a more drought resistant turf.
Future measures will save even more water
Since its peak usage in 2012, it is estimated that RCSC has saved nearly 16% in water consumption through the $14 million already spent on water conservation projects.
With the implementation of future conservation measures, RCSC expects to reduce water consumption by an additional 15% to 20%, allowing it to meet and exceed the more stringent water allocation in ADWR’s Fifth Management Plan.
This equates to more than 1,800 acre-feet per year – enough to supply 5,400 homes.
RCSC is doing its part to be a leader in water conservation to ensure the viability of the oldest active adult community and our great state, and to suggest otherwise, as in the recent Arizona Republic article, “Golf courses claim to conserve water. But they don’t,” is simply mistaken.
Bill Cook is general manager of Recreation Centers of Sun City, Inc. Reach him at bcook@suncityaz.org.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Sun City golf courses are conserving, not wasting, water
