Loading rates of nutrients discharging from a golf course and a neighboring forested basin

In the last ten years, the number of golf courses has been increasing in so me countries as the game gains popularity. This indicates a need to estimat e the nutrient loading from golf courses in order to prevent the eutrophica tion of water bodies. Nutrient concentrations and flow rates of a brook wer e measured once a week from 1989 to 1990 at two sites: Site A of a brook fl owing out from D-golf course (53 ha) and Site B of the same brook dischargi ng into the golf course from an upper forested basin (23 ha) covered mainly with planted Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa SIEB. et ZUCC), The be drock of the area was granite. The annual values of precipitation and mean temperature were 1947 mm and 13.5 degrees C in 1989, respectively. The arit hmetic average values of discharge from the forested basin and the golf cou rse were 0.392 and 1.26 mg/l total nitrogen (TN), 0.0072 and 0.145 mg/l tot al phosphorus (TP), 0.82 and 3.53 mg/l potassium ion (K+), 5.92 and 8.24 mg /l sodium ion (Na+), 2.1 and 9.9 mg/l suspending solid (0.001-2.0 mm, SS), 0.087 and 0.147 mS/cm electric conductivity (EC), and 0.031 and 0.037 m(3)/ km(2).s specific discharge, respectively. The loading rates of the forested basin and the golf course were 5.42 and 13.5 TN, 0.133 and 3.04 TP, 8.84 a nd 33.9 K+, 55.0 and 73.0 Na+, and 54.3 and 118 SS in kg/ha.y. The leaching and runoff rate of nitrogen in the chemical fertilizers applied on the gol f course was calculated as 32%; These results indicated the importance of c ontrolling the phosphorus loading for the management of golf courses. (C) 1 999 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on behalf of the IAWQ. All rights res erved.