This article appeared in Golf Management, November 2004

Water, water everywhere – but at what cost?

With water charges rising by 30 per cent, it’s not a time for greenkeepers to bury their heads in the sand – but perhaps it is time to start digging down to bedrock

Already sinking in a rising tide of utility charges, householders are now facing a 30 per cent hike in their water costs. For people whose businesses depend on an affordable water supply, it’s a hike too far.

And it’s not just cost. Many people dread the hosepipe bans and interrupted supplies that even a short spell of dry weather can bring. Many are worried about the impact on health of water additives such as fluoride and chlorine.

More and more people are opting for the alternative – a private supply from a borehole drilled deep into the clear waters of the rock strata under their land or gardens.

Keith Morgan is Golf Course Manager for the Kings and Queens Golf Course near Usk in Gwent. Despite its location in such a wet area of the world, Keith’s golf course is continually thirsty.

“Despite our climate, you have no other option but to irrigate,” says Keith, “and we needed a specialised irrigation system.”

The two 18-hole courses span 247 acres of elevated land near Usk. The five acres of golfing greens need daily attention.

“The look and feel of the green is everything,” says Keith. “We have to nurture the grass so that it remains playable all year round, and make sure that the ground is even and flat enough to play on. There is a fine art to grass maintenance.”

An extensive reticulation now spreads out underneath the golf course, feeding sprinklers, controlled by a central computer.

WB and AD Morgan (no relation to Keith Morgan) have drilled two boreholes, one of which fills a small lake and two reservoirs. The water is pumped into the lake, then systematically abstracted and distributed throughout the golf course.

Work begins with a hydrogeological report – or prognosis – which costs around £200. This survey gives an indication of the underlying geology, whether water is likely to be found and at what depth.

Boreholes used for commercial reasons need special permissions that can take between six to nine months to organise. So, it’s wise to start the process now, well ahead of the summer months.

“Once the permissions are there, on-site work can last 10 to 15 days. Drilling typically takes three or four days, and then pipework and cables need to be installed,” says Brian Morgan of water well drillers WB+AD Morgan, “The submersible pump is placed in the borehole and tested and, finally, water is sent to the laboratory to check its purity.”

So was Keith happy with his decision?

“Our borehole provides approximately 5,000 gallons an hour, which meets the course’s demands – 25,000 gallons a night and double that in the summer months. There was really no other alternative to a borehole”

“We have got a mains connection,” he adds. “but mains rates for that volume of water would be astronomical!

“The boreholes have paid for themselves many times over.”

Pros Most bottled water brands come from boreholes Boreholes can cut water costs by up to 80 per cent. A cubic metre of water from a public supply can cost up to £1 in some areas. A million gallons costs about £4,500. The cost of borehole water is around 2p to 3p a cubic metre Finance options are available for boreholes and – even with interest payments over five years, say – the cost can still be lower than buying public water Once you’ve paid for the borehole and pump system, your only cost is electricity to run the pump. There’s no water meter and no water bills In many cases, borehole water doesn’t need any treatment. If there is any contamination, an ultraviolet (UV) sterilisation unit and pre-filter are installed. Unlike chemical purification, they don’t taint the water A new borehole, installed to a high standard, and with modern materials such as PVC and stainless steel should last a lifetime Under new Water Bill legislation, users who take under 20 cubic metres of water a day – 20 tonnes of water – don’t need a licence to abstract   Cons Commercial installations start at around £8,000, but users tend to recoup this within a couple of years or even months Commercial users who need a large quantity of water will usually need a licence to abstract The quality of the water is your responsibility. You’ll have to check its purity and have filters installed if necessary

How your borehole is drilled is just as important as where it’s drilled. Construction itself, if not carried out properly, can pollute the underground store of water – the aquifer.

After drilling to the required depth, the borehole is lined with a well screen and casing, usually made of thermo-plastic, or stainless steel. Special screens are precision cut to allow the water through at the right pressure to avoid sediment being drawn in along with it.

The area around the screen – the annulus – is then packed with an inert silica gravel or sand to act as a filter. Towards the top of the borehole, resting on the silica, a grouted seal closes the drill hole to the pipe. This extends the full length of the ‘overburden’—loosely described as soil or broken ground—down into the impermeable layer. Its purpose is to keep any polluted surface water out of the borehole.

When the grout is cured, a sealed chamber is installed to house the well head and valves.

Finally, a reliable stainless steel submersible pump, powered by electricity, solar power or wind, is lowered into the borehole. This brings water to the surface under pressure.

 

For more information on private water supplies and boreholes:

The Drinking Water Inspectorate at www.dwi.gov.uk. Tel. 020 7082 8024