Water Management, Responsible

There are numerous benefits for a grounds manager in managing water use in a responsible way, including:
• Cost savings: The extraction and use of water has a cost implication, even where water is not potable and charged via a water meter. There will also be time savings on labour where water use is reduced and managed more efficiently. This will allow for staff to be redeployed to other grounds maintenance tasks.
• Conserving valuable and increasingly more limited water resources supports environmental sustainability and can help to protect ground water sources and contribute to improving or maintaining water availability for wildlife. Reducing wastage of water and a reduced potential of water pollution can also result from conserving water.
• Promoting sustainable grounds management practices that better consider how to encourage a sward which relies on reduced inputs of water. This can also lead to improving a range of soft skills, including analytical skills, creative thinking and problem solving. With climate change becoming an ever more serious issue, the need to promote and deliver on sustainable practices becomes ever more urgent.
• Improved public perception can result from demonstrating responsible water management, especially during periods of drought when many people will be restricted from using a hose pipe to water their own gardens and plants. In addition, with increasing tensions between where water should be allocated, for example, for social domestic use (especially for human health and well-being), wildlife maintenance, business, or sports surfaces, a more positive reputation can be built-up where grounds managers are shown to be judicious in their use of water.
• Regulatory compliance: There may be less need for permits where lesser quantities of water are consumed, easier adherence to restrictions at certain times of the year, and a reduced likelihood of penalties and fines being incurred where compliance is not achieved.