ATA Turf Times – Dr. Eve Brantley
Background  
Do you remember the first time you searched a creek for crayfish, swam in a river, skipped stones across a lake, or chased the Gulf waves? Chances are you’ve had a lot of opportunity to explore the more than 132,000 miles of rivers, streams and shorelines in Alabama. As you travel across the state, notice that it’s never very far between seeing a creek, river, or wetland. This network of water resources provides recreation, drinking water, power generation, and industry for the state, while also boasting the most freshwater fish diversity in the country.
With urban and suburban areas increasing, planning, implementation, and maintenance of water friendly practices by turfgrass managers plays an important role in protecting local water quality. Stormwater landscaping may be available on most of your work sites including commercial developments with large parking lots, parks and sports complexes, streetscapes, golf courses, school grounds, residential developments, and more. There is a connection between management of green spaces and water quality.
When you ask people what the number one cause of water pollution is, they likely picture big pipes spilling out dirty water. While this was once the source of most water quality problems, the Clean Water Act provided oversight and rules for what may be discharged into surface waters by industry and municipalities. Water quality has improved, but we still have streams, rivers, lakes and bays that are impacted by polluted stormwater runoff, or nonpoint source pollution. This pollution is the number one cause of degraded waters in the United States.
Pollutants such as oil and gas from streets and parking lots, excess fertilizer from suburban areas, sediment from land disturbing activities, and pet waste wash into storm drains, roadside ditches, and streams with each rainstorm. The health of our local streams, rivers, lakes, and bays is a reflection of how we manage our landscape. What we do in a stream’s watershed is directly linked to the health of that stream. A watershed is the area of land that, when it rains, that water drains to a common water body – nature’s boundary lines.
Turfgrass managers may inexpensively and effectively manage green spaces and the stormwater that moves across and through them protecting healthy waters that we use for safe drinking water supply, fishing and boating opportunities, landscape amenities, and is home to an amazing array of life.

* Get a soil test.
* Apply fertilizers at the proper rate, using the correct application method, and best time to maximize plant uptake and minimize runoff.
* Use water wisely – irrigate only when needed and in the early morning. Check for leaks and nozzle direction. Use mulch to reduce water loss in plant beds. Consider using rainwater harvesting.
* Only rain should enter the storm drain – avoid blowing grass clippings, leaves, excess fertilizers or other materials into storm drains.
* Keep soil covered – limit erosion with temporary and permanent seed or mulch to protect from soil loss.
* Consider implementing practices such as grass swales, rain gardens, and more to slow and clean stormwater.
* Manage a streamside vegetation buffer along streams and ponds to filter stormwater. Pollinator plants may be incorporated for an aesthetically pleasing look that is also ecologically valuable.

 
Don’t Guess – Test!
One of the best ways to protect streams also protects your wallet. Knowing the fertilizer needs for lawns and applying only the required amount means that chemicals (and money) aren’t wasted. One application of excess fertilizer may not be a big deal, but 100 excess fertilizer applications in a watershed can create problems such as harmful algal blooms.
ATA members can help get the word out to homeowners and others about the importance o...