Here is an interesting article from the Escondio news paper "The North County Times" on what we can expect here in the desert in the next few of yeaars.

GOLF: Danger zone: Ongoing drought, looming mandatory water cutbacks force golf courses to get creative as a matter of survival

The increasing thirst for water in the region has many residents concerned about rising costs and mandatory cutbacks, which could result in green-deficient wallets and browner lawns. For most local golf courses, the water shortage is the most pressing issue of the day, forcing many to re-think watering and maintenance methods in order to stretch their most precious commodity. "It's a major concern," said Scott Bentley, general manager at the Country Club of Rancho Bernardo. "It's becoming a danger sign. "San Diego gets most of its water from the Colorado River, which has been in a drought stage for eight of the last 10 years. Another major source is the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta, but lower-than-average snow and rainfall and new restrictions protecting an endangered minnow have reduced water deliveries into Southern California. As a result, the San Diego County Water Authority announced last month it will be cutting water deliveries to its member retail water agencies by 8 percent starting July 1. Some cities have declared a Level 2 water emergency, and mandatory cutbacks will start taking effect as soon as June 1. For golf courses, water usage varies depending on the size, but it's not uncommon for a course to consume more than 400,000 gallons in one summer day. With more than 80 golf courses in San Diego County alone, that's plenty of water being sprayed around. According to Golf Digest, U.S. courses each use an average of 300,000 gallons a day. By contrast, a single person uses approximately 180 gallons a day, according to the San Diego County Water Authority. Golf course superintendents are taking steps to cut back:-- The Vineyard at Escondido, which uses reclaimed water and its own well water, is now watering its grass every other day.— Maderas Golf Club in Poway has a drought contingency plan, which outlines cutbacks on its 10-acre driving range and the course's non-playing areas, and considerations for water-efficient upgrades to its clubhouse, such as motion-sensored faucets and waterless urinals.— The Country Club of Rancho Bernardo is in discussions to convert some of its 108 acres of turf into areas using more native plants.— Escondido Country Club is cutting back its sprinkler run times by 15 percent on its perimeter and fairways. The private club also will limit overseeding to the tee boxes come fall, a maintenance procedure that many other courses are considering as well. According to the private club's superintendent, Craig Morrison, the 80-acre course uses about 335,000 gallons of water per day during the summer. When he overseeds to promote new growth, he'll use more than 400,000 gallons to get the grass growing. "Hopefully this year we'll get by just cutting back and keeping the course a bit drier," Morrison said.— Barona Creek Golf Club in Lakeside, which relies strictly on reclaimed water from the hotel and casino next door, has initiated a turf reduction project that will convert more than 10 acres of out-of-play turf to waste bunkers or more natural landscape. Barona, which hosted the Nationwide Tour Championship two years ago, features at least fives sets of tees on every hole and has plans to eliminate one tee box at each hole. "We're hoping to reduce our usage by 15 percent," superintendent Sandy Clark said. "Over the course of a year, that's a pretty substantial amount."

Different water sources.
Golf courses can't survive without water, but this drought has some course operators more concerned than others. Only a small fraction of San Diego courses rely on tap water ---- called potable water ---- as their sole source of irrigation, according to Brendon Reaksecker, president of the San Diego Golf Course Superintendents Association. Many courses have their own wells, which provide what is called groundwater. Others use reclaimed water and raw water, which comes directly from aqueducts, or even runoff from local neighborhoods. "There's a misperception of where (golf course) water comes from," said Reaksecker, who is also the superintendent at Bonita Golf Club. "Many courses use a combination from many sources. This is our business, and we'd go out of business if we wasted water. "Castle Creek Country Club in north Escondido relies solely on its wells, and according Aaron Kelsey, the course's director of golf, spends approximately $4,000 each month on electricity to pump the water from the ground. That's a significant difference from Escondido Country Club, which relies solely on tap water delivered by local water suppliers. Tap water is the cleanest available, and it costs the club plenty ---- more than $30,000 each month according to Morrison. "It's a major cost that some other courses don't have to deal with," Morrison said.The club, which was built in the early 1960s, has looked into using reclaimed water, Morrison said, but there's a cost to that as well. He estimates the club would have to spend $1.7 million to retrofit its pipes to use reclaimed water. The club would save approximately 15 percent using reclaimed water, Morrison said, a savings that would take years to pay off. "You have to look at it from a budget point of view," he said. "Is it worth it to invest that money? But if this drought keeps going, we're not going to have a choice because it may become mandatory." According to the San Diego County Water Authority, about 20 courses in San Diego County are using reclaimed water, a low number considering recycled water users are exempt from water restrictions. But since there are only 17 agencies in the county that produce recycled water, accessibility is the main roadblock for many courses. According to Mike Huck, a golf course irrigation specialist based in Dana Point, it costs approximately $1 million for every mile of piping used for recycled water. "The problem is most of the low-hanging fruit has already been picked," Huck said. "Many courses within a reasonable distance of reclamation plants are using recycled water." Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club uses tap water only because it can't easily access recycled water. The nearest point of connection is four miles away and, according to superintendent Tim Barrier, it would cost the club more than $5 million in piping costs just to get the water. "It's an issue of accessibility for us," Barrier said. "It would cost us millions of dollars just to get it here. And the (recycled water) rates are about the same." Instead, the club has enacted its drought plan by reducing its watering by 20 percent. Woods Valley Golf Club in Valley Center is doing everything it can not to tap into potable water lines. The five-year-old course primarily uses water from its four wells and also is allotted 40,000 gallons of reclaimed water per day from the Valley Center water district. David Mowery, the club's director of golf, estimates the club can save up to $20,000 per month when it doesn't use potable water on the course. "We use potable only if our wells aren't producing," Mowery said. "Courses that use strictly potable water are going to be hurting this year." JC Golf, which operates six courses in North County and one in Temecula, has spent the last several years investing in finding alternative water sources. Only Oaks North Golf Club, an executive course in Rancho Bernardo, relies solely on potable water. The Rancho Bernardo Inn, a JC Golf course, uses runoff water from surrounding neighborhoods. It stores the water on the north end of the property and filters it before pumping it on the course. "Sometimes we see soap bubbles in there from people washing their cars," said Bob Dobek, the director of golf maintenance operations for JC Golf. "But we have a good filtration system so it works for us."

Technology driving innovation
With restrictions looming, many superintendents are looking at new ways to innovate. "If the restrictions come down, you're going to see a lot of guys doing a lot of different things to survive," said Dobek, who has been working in the San Diego golf industry for more than three decades. Reaksecker said advances in technology have allowed superintendents to be more efficient with watering practices. Many courses now have a central irrigation control system, which allows operators to adjust sprinklers heads with the push of a button. Using advanced weather stations, many superintendents have the ability to measure how much moisture is in the air and wind speeds ---- anything that influences water penetration into soil. "Golf is on the cutting edge of water technology," Reaksecker said. "Golf courses have dedicated people who identify irrigation problems and solve them. We can fine-tune on a daily basis using data to guide our decisions." The use of more heat- and salt-tolerant grasses is being considered. Woods Valley recently switched to Bermuda grass, which can stand hotter conditions. And Fairbanks Ranch Country Club, which uses well water with a high salt content, features seashore paspalum, one of the most salt-tolerant grasses available. Since recycled water is a growing trend and has a higher salt content than potable, Huck said more and more courses will be making the shift to grasses such as seashore paspalum, which is popular in Hawaii. No matter the technology and the grasses, though, a shortage of water may soon force an unavoidable change in how courses look and feel. "I think what we're going to be looking at are not-so-pleasing-looking golf courses this summer," Dobek said. "Color is going to have to withstand some change. Now we're used to striped fairways, but it just can't be that lush, green color without a mark out there."Bentley said the ongoing shortage of water may call for even more drastic measures." I'm still waiting for the first all-AstroTurf golf course," he said. "You laugh, but stranger things have happened."

San Diego’s water supplies
71 percent -- Colorado River, Sacramento-San Joaquin delta
24 percent -- Local supplies
5 percent -- Rainfall

Source: San Diego County Water Authority
Water comes from a variety of sources. Here are the types of water golf courses tap into for irrigation:
Reclaimed -- Sometimes called recycled water, this is sewage that has been treated to remove impurities.
Raw -- Untreated surface water that could become potable if filtered and chlorinated.
Ground -- Comes from beneath the ground; golf courses that have wells tap into this source.
Runoff -- This comes from overwatering practices; runoff usually enters the storm-water system.
Potable -- Commonly known as tap water, this is safe for human consumption.
Storm -- Comes from rain, hail and snowfall, and enters the storm-water system.
Surface -- This type of water is collected from a stream, lake, river or wetland.