The City of Irving Water Utilities Department was awarded the Water Conservation and Reuse Award by the Texas section of the American Water Works Association in April. The department was honored for its ongoing efforts to conserve and reuse water through its water transfer pump station project at the Irving Golf Club.
In May 2018, the department completed work on its water transfer pump station project. The pump station draws water from the West Fork of the Trinity River, which runs along its eastern and southern edge, to a small irrigation pond on the golf course. From there, the river “reuse” water is used to irrigate the growing golf course turf.
As a premier community in the North Texas region, Irving is committed to providing recreational amenities to residents in an environmentally sustainable and
water-efficient manner. Planned reinvestment in the Irving Golf Club provided an opportunity to both improve the golf course and reduce treated water demands by implementing direct reuse for irrigation.
Between May and December 2018, Irving diverted nearly 55 million gallons of water to irrigate the turf at the golf course. Rather than treating and transferring this supply for golf course irrigation, the city opted to purchase the reuse supply from the Trinity River Authority (TRA) at a considerable savings.
Reuse water is highly treated or reclaimed wastewater that is discharged into the Trinity River each day just upstream of the Irving Golf Club. It is a safe, cost-effective source for non-consumable purposes, including irrigation. This option is available as a result of staff efforts to obtain required state permitting and negotiating a favorable agreement with TRA for the rights to purchase the reuse water at a reduced rate. Water Utilities estimates a cost savings of nearly $220,000 for a full year of the raw water supply.
The department also estimates that the total cost ($963,044) for the diversion facilities, which move the reuse water from the Trinity River to the irrigation pond, will be paid for by the savings in less than five years.
As water conservation and reuse remain imperative to the water industry, this environmentally savvy project not only saves the city money, but eliminates the need to expend the electricity and chemicals required if the irrigation water were treated to drinking water standards along with other city supplies. It is an innovative solution for conserving drinking water and industry professionals across the state have taken notice.
Irving Golf Club at 2000 E. Shady Grove Road is estimated to open in the late summer of 2019.
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