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A retrofit project at the Griffith Park Roosevelt Golf Course will soon switch the irrigation system from drinking water to recycled water thanks to an annual $3-million grant from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to Recreation and Parks under an ongoing partnership. Fourth District Los Angeles City Councilman David Ryu joined with representatives from the Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP) and the LADWP earlier this week to break ground on the new retrofit project.
“The partnership between LADWP and the Department of Recreation & Parks saves our City millions of gallons of water each year, and is a huge step in building a more sustainable Los Angeles,” Councilmember Ryu said. “I’m so proud to be a part of this effort to make Los Angeles the leader in water-conscious growth.”
Partnerships between Los Angeles city departments has proven to be a successful means for water-savings efforts. Thus far the partnership between RAP and the Department of Water and Power has saved some 730 million gallons of water annually as a result of water conservation efforts and projects.
“Investing in partnerships with fellow city agencies like Recreation and Parks and with our customers at home is money saved on purchasing costly imported water,” said Martin Adams, LADWP COO. “Water conservation is a way of life and whether it’s a city golf course converting its irrigation to recycled water or someone at home installing sustainable, California Friendly landscaping or upgrading to an efficient clothes washer, LADWP has a program or rebate to assist with that.”
The Roosevelt Golf Course, comprised of 38 acres of turf, is the eighth city-owned golf course to switch its irrigation system from potable to recycled water. The amount of potable water offset with this recycled water irrigation project is estimated at 39 million gallons a year. When completed the Roosevelt Golf Course irrigation system will consist of 15,000 linear feet of purple mainline pipe for recycled water and 800 irrigation heads. The mainline piping will also include a water point connection for a future recycled water system to service other parks of Griffith Park.
In 2007, LADWP and Recreation and Parks entered into a partnership to promote water conservation by maximizing landscape water use efficiency at Los Angeles City parks. This included the repair and/or installation of weather-sensitive irrigation control equipment, turf reduction, replacement of inefficient irrigation distribution systems, and the conversion of potable irrigation system to utilize recycled water.
Once the Roosevelt Golf Course project is completed, the eight city golf courses with recycled water systems will save up to a combined 690 million gallons of drinking water per year (2,120-acre feet/year). The replacement of 21 acres of turf throughout LA City RAP facilities amounts to an additional 40-million gallons of water saved on an annual basis. Combined, the 730-million gallons of water RAP saves is enough to supply more than 6,700 single family homes in LA on an annual basis. In total, there are now over 1,000 acres of city golf course facilities using recycled water for turf irrigation. Construction of the new Roosevelt Golf Course irrigation system expected to be completed by early 2019.
“Today, about one third of all water used in parks comes from recycled sources,” said Recreation and Parks General Manager Mike Shull. “With the help and support of the Department of Water and Power on projects like this here at Roosevelt Golf Course, we have been able to greatly reduce the use of potable water in our City’s parks and golf courses.”
