Energy savings and better water management by modifying the pumping system

2021

Next to hole 16 is a pumping system that receives excess water from the course. The pump starts when a pre-set water level is reached and the excess water flows to a drainage ditch of the local water board. In early 2020, we noticed that the electricity use of the pump was much higher than usual. An investigation identified that the water board had raised a downstream weir to such a height that the water flowed back into the tank from the drainage ditch which meant that the pump was permanently on. A solution for this problem was found by closing the outlet to the drainage ditch with the pump's discharge pipe so that the water could no longer flow back. We also saw that even in dry weather, water still flowed into the pumping system from the course. The source of this had to be groundwater and meant the groundwater level beneath the course was lower than necessary. By adjusting the sensors that control the pump the groundwater level is now better managed.