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‭Avila Beach Golf Resort: A Golfer's Paradise Or An Environmental Disaster?‬

‭Driving down Avila Beach Drive towards the gorgeous coastline of the California central‬

‭coast a well watered vibrant green golf course can be seen on the right side of the road. Yet the‬

‭vegetation surrounding the course is a muted light brown; the sign of thirsty plants. The‬

‭seemingly perfect golf course is known as Avila Beach Golf Resort. The resort is advertised to‬

‭have an unmatchable grand golfing experience to offer to its guests. Unfortunately, this course‬

‭may harm the surrounding environment so much that it is not worth all the praise.‬

‭According to the Avila Regional Recycled Water Study, Avila Beach Golf Resort needs‬

‭approximately 207 acre feet of water per year. One acre foot of water is a unit used in reference‬

‭to water usage and is the amount of water needed to cover one acre of land that is one foot deep.‬

‭All that water generally adds up to 326,000 gallons which is about the amount of water that two‬

‭four person family households use in a year. With that in mind, it can be inferred that the Avila‬

‭Beach Golf Resort uses the same amount of water as over 1,500 people. The resort gets its water‬
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‭from the San Miguelito Mutual Water Company (SMMWC) yet even though the SMMWC‬

‭supplies a variety of users, both commercial and residential, the Avila Beach Golf Resort uses‬

‭over 40% of the available water the SMMWC has to offer‬‭(Avila Regional Recycled Water‬

‭Study)‬‭.‬

‭People aren’t the only thing that the golf course is taking water away from though. The‬

‭golf course sits along an estuary that filters into San Luis Obispo Bay and is surrounded by‬

‭greenery. Golf courses‬‭, according to Irene Petrosillo‬‭in her article “Can a Golf Course Support‬

‭Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services? The Landscape Context Matter”,‬‭are known to,‬

‭“contaminate surface and groundwater due to the chemical inputs employed to maintain the‬

‭“‬‭‘‬‭green‬‭”‭’‬ ‬‭coverage”‬‭and‬‭.‬‭t‭T
‬ he “green coverage” golf‬‭courses are trying to maintain is the‬

‭consistent bright green fresh grass for golfing which needs a lot of fertilizer and pesticides to‬

‭sustain. T‬‭he location of Avila Beach Golf Resort causes‬‭its fertilizers to easily spread into water‬

‭systems. The most common fertilizers used by golf courses contain nitrogen, phosphorus, and‬

‭potassium. These macronutrients are commonly used in all fields of plant growth such as‬

‭agriculture and gardening because they are a great recipe to help plants grow big quickly and‬

‭stay healthy. Yet if they leach into a body of water such as the estuary or San Luis Obispo‬

‭Bay(shown in Fig 1) they can help algae‬

‭grow. This large algae bloom is known‬

‭as eutrophication and is a deadly event‬

‭that heavily decreases oxygen levels in‬

‭aquatic ecosystems killing many‬

‭organisms. Imagine the fish tank in the‬

‭movie‬‭Finding Nemo‬‭when it is totally‬

‭filthy, cloudy, and filled with algae. Essentially that is what occurs with eutrophication.‬

‭ ig 1: A map of the golf course and local area. The estuary can‬
F
‭be seen in light gray above the town and below Heron Crest.‬
‭(Avila Regional Recycled Water Study)‬

‭As well‬‭Also‬‭, “‬‭D‬‭d‬‭uring the construction of a golf course‬‭in an area without a strong‬

‭tendency to aridity or wetness, [bulk density] was significantly higher… [penetration resistance]‬

‭was significantly higher… [and] pore size distribution decreased significantly”‬‭(Petrosillo)‬‭. These‬

‭measurements may be confusing yet they all lead to unhealthy soil. An increase in bulk density‬

‭causes it to be harder for water to flow into the soil and for important microorganisms to thrive.‬

‭An increase in penetration resistance makes it harder for roots to penetrate and grow in the soil.‬

‭A decrease in pore size means the soil is much more compact also causing similar consequences‬

‭as the previous two occurrences.‬

‭Lawnmowers also create a major disturbance to the local environment. Lawnmowers can‬

‭cause as much pollution as a car driven for 100 miles if used for one hour. Alongside air‬

‭pollution, lawnmowers create a lot of noise pollution creating a noise as loud as a jackhammer.‬

‭Jessica Boehland explains, “Lawnmowers regularly emit a 90-decibel din. According to the‬

‭American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, any sound over 80 decibels is potentially‬

‭hazardous”.‬‭In a rural place such as Avila Beach,‬‭this has many negative effects on the local‬

‭wildlife‬‭and human population‬‭. The golf course has‬‭a lot of‬‭land‬‭land‬‭it has to mow as well with‬

‭the expansive set of golfing greens.‬

‭The negative effects of the Avila Beach Golf Resort on the environment continue to‬

‭ripple out affecting more than just the immediate surrounding area. Water systems are thoroughly‬

‭connected and when one part of the system is hurt the whole system is affected. Having a golf‬
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‭course right next to an estuary and ocean is especially detrimental. A golf course is a highly‬

‭controlled field of grass that is dumped on with fertilizer and pesticides. These chemicals can‬

‭easily leach into the ocean and wreak havoc.‬

‭With some simple changes, the Avila Beach Golf Course can be much less destructive to‬

‭the area around it. Avila Beach Golf Course uses kikuyu and bentgrass grasses for their greens.‬

‭Both of those grasses require extensive watering and care. An alternative that could work well is‬

‭called Zoysia Grass. Zoysia Grass is very drought resistant and requires little maintenance. By‬

‭using Zoysia Grass, Avila Beach Golf Resort could reduce its water usage while still keeping the‬

‭pretty greens they are trying to have. SMMWC is on track to start reusing wastewater for‬

‭irrigation at the course yet has not confirmed usage. The reusage of wastewater would be a great‬

‭step in the right direction. Reusing wastewater means taking water that has been classified as‬

‭“waste” or already used and depending on how dirty the water is treating it slightly to then use it‬

‭as irrigation. It is not water fit to drink as a human but would still be great for plants. Another‬

‭change that could occur would be converting from pesticides to integrated pest management‬

‭known as IPM. IPM is a sustainable way to deal with possible pests because it works with the‬

‭natural environment rather than bringing in foreign chemicals. Keeping pests in check with IPM‬

‭means having a large knowledge of all the organisms that live in that environment. Then with‬

‭that knowledge, one can naturally control those pests by doing things such as bringing in other‬

‭organisms that could keep the populations in check or practicing prevention to stop pests from‬

‭even occurring in the first place. Some examples of this are helping hawk populations thrive by‬

‭dealing with an excess amount of mice or planting pest resistant plants and crops. As well there‬

‭are some solutions for the golf course that could apply to many places other than the course. The‬

‭resort is already on the path towards solar panels which would help in reducing non sustainable‬
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‭energy usage. The resort should also invest in electric lawnmowers. Electric lawnmowers‬

‭produce no air pollution and also are much quieter than classic gas fueled lawnmowers.‬

‭If Avila Beach Golf Resort can create a more sustainable resort it could even benefit the‬

‭environment. Grass can help filter and clean water as it travels through the dirt and into‬

‭groundwater. The course can help draw people outside and keep them active while also being in‬

‭a beautiful area. Therefore building a love for nature and pushing people to further care for the‬

‭world around them. The course can also be a refuge for migrant birds as predators are less likely‬

‭to prowl the course in fear of humans. There are many ways to get outside in San Luis Obispo‬

‭County and the course is another way to do so yet it needs to work on its impact on the‬

‭environment around it.‬

‭Golfing can be a great activity yet golf courses must be made to not destroy the‬

‭environment so they can benefit people and not negatively affect a plethora of other organisms.‬

‭Avila Beach Golf Resort is geologically placed in a location where it can have a very great effect‬

‭on the natural world around it. Golf courses in more urban situations have less of a worry in‬

‭affecting water systems yet Avila Beach Golf Resort must be mindful in its effects on the grand‬

‭ocean right next to it. If their fertilizers leach into the nearby estuary it can cause massive algae‬

‭blooms that kill countless organisms and can destroy entire water communities. The resort can‬

‭also work on its presence in the sense of converting to electric lawnmowers and using better‬

‭grasses that use less water. The Avila Beach Golf Resort could be a wonderful place for its guests‬

‭and the world surrounding it but first, it must make some changes to be more friendly to the‬

‭environment.‬