![Cost-Effective Wastewater Treatment For Golf Courses And Facilities](https://tcg.engineer/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/brentwood-cc-2-1.jpg)
Cost-Effective Wastewater Treatment for Golf Courses and Facilities
The cover photo shows Brentwood Country Club’s course, one of Contineo Group’s success projects.
By their nature, golf courses are often located on large areas of land, sometimes in relatively remote locations. A resulting issue is that the distance from a municipal sewer system may make connection too costly. Fortunately, there are cost-effective wastewater treatment systems for golf courses and facilities.
Septic Systems
A septic tank is the common solution for wastewater treatment in locations without municipal sewer access. The typical installation includes a septic tank that removes solids from wastewater. The partially treated water is then discharged into a drain field where it is naturally filtered and absorbed into the soil.
The limitations of the drain field system center around the soil characteristics and size needed to process the wastewater into the ground. It typically takes a sizeable area of ground for a drain field to be effective in a commercial application. It must also be noted that water from other sources such as rainfall, snowmelt or flooding will significantly reduce the amount of wastewater that can be processed.
Aerobic Treatment
![](https://tcg.engineer/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Santa-Rosa-Golf-Beach-Club-Course-2.jpg)
This photo shows Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club’s course, one of Contineo Group’s success projects.
Aeration is a good solution for further breaking down organic matter after solids have been removed in the septic tank. PuraACE reactor pods are an aeration option that have proven effective for golf course wastewater treatment. These systems use a patented aeration design to reduce contaminants to levels suitable for further treatment. Low operational costs and reduced maintenance requirements make it a cost-effective solution.
The pods utilize a hybrid submerged aerated filter (SAF) treatment process that reduces the amount of air needed compared to other technologies. Marble rock, limestone or seashells are used for passive alkalinity control. The result is significant reductions of ammonia, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and fat, oil and grease (FOG) in the wastewater stream.
Much of this cleansing of the wastewater stream is done by aerobic microorganisms. The SAF media of the PuraACE reactor pods provide an optimal surface area for these microorganisms to attach to and proliferate. Oxygen transfer is also an important part of the process. The system is designed to promote aggressive aeration by releasing air from the bottom and breaking it into finer bubbles. Incoming wastewater is then diluted by recirculating some of the treated stream.
Biofilter Treatment
Further treatment of the effluent from the aerobic process can be achieved through biofiltering. Anua BioCoir is one such treatment system that has proven successful in premiere U.S. golf destinations, including the Old Mclemore Resort. The self-contained modular system removes nitrogen and other constituents to create an environmentally friendly effluent.
A key feature of the BioCoir system is it’s renewable filter media. The system utilizes coconut fiber (coir) as the filter media which significantly reduces operational costs. Coir are the fibers that make up the thick husk of a coconut. As a by-product of the coconut harvesting industry in many developing nations, these durable fibers make an excellent filter media that is effective, inexpensive and sustainable.
Reusing Water for Irrigation
As we mentioned in our previous post, Irrigation Sources for Golf Courses, treated effluent is an excellent source of water for irrigation. Treating wastewater on site with a sustainable system and then utilizing the resulting effluent is beneficial to the environment and budget friendly on multiple levels. Of course, given the potential health hazards that wastewater can pose, it is essential that systems are designed and maintained properly.
Wastewater Treatment Regulation
![](https://tcg.engineer/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Santa-Rosa-Golf-Beach-Club-Course-4.jpg)
This photo shows Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club’s course, one of Contineo Group’s success projects.
Regardless of the system chosen, you’ll have to meet strict regulations before the effluent is safe for release into the environment. Untreated or partially treated wastewater can be catastrophic to the ecosystem if it reaches waterways, as well as a health hazard for humans.
The Clean Water Act was implemented across the U.S. in the early 1970s to strengthen the earlier Federal Water Pollution Control Act that had proven ineffective in dealing with pollution. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created shortly after to enforce the regulations. These are the primary requirements that influence wastewater regulations imposed at a state level.
Certification
The most recognized and accepted standards for on-site wastewater treatment are NSF/ANSI 40 and 245, with the latter meeting stricter nitrogen reduction requirements. Meeting the 50% total nitrogen reduction target expressed in NSF/ANSI 245 is often required in the coastal areas and sensitive environments where golf courses are located.
Most states have adopted one or both of the NSF/ANSI standards, so certification is an important consideration in evaluating a wastewater treatment system. A system must meet minimum requirements for:
- Structural Integrity
- Leakage
- Noise
- Electrical certification
- Access ports
- Visual and audible alarms
- Flow design
- Data plate standards
- Service labels
Effluent Testing
Measuring four major categories helps to determine wastewater quality: organics, solids, nutrients and physical properties. NSF/ANSI certification dictates that systems must meet an acceptable quality of effluent for a six-month period. Reusing the treated effluent for irrigation creates a more specific set of requirements. You want to test for the following when using water for irrigation:
- Salinity, or the total concentration of salts
- Sodium content
- Concentration of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium
- Relative proportion of sodium to calcium and magnesium
- Chloride, boron, bicarbonate and carbonate content
- pH
The above tests are important because each of them has a potential to affect the health of turfgrass. It’s important to have tests completed at a laboratory that can properly test water for turf irrigation use. A professional agronomist is an excellent resource to help understand the results. Suggestions of corrective measures make them a valuable team member too.
Wastewater Treatment Planning
![](https://tcg.engineer/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/McLemore-3.jpg)
This photo shows McLemore’s The Keep golf course, one of Contineo Group’s success projects.
Golf course locations often require on-site wastewater treatment. You want to design treatment systems with compliance and efficiency in mind. Expert guidance from the civil engineers at Contineo Group ensures that the system is as cost-effective as possible, while still meeting capacity needs and regulatory requirements. Please get in touch to learn how we can create a successful wastewater treatment plan for your course.