Frilford Heath Opts
For Otterbine Air Flo 3
Diffused aeration system brings significant improvement to reservoir
Water conservation is a hot
topic at the moment and any
way to re-use, recycle and
utilise that resource on a golf
course is good news.
Working towards a degree
of water self-sufficiency,
Frilford Heath, a 54-hole
championship golf course
complex seven miles south of
Oxford, has had an Otterbine
Air Flo 3 installed in its 6m,
10 million gallon reservoir to
aerate the water and make it
good enough quality to irrigate
the course.
Course manager Sid
Arrowsmith, who has been
at the helm of Frilford Heath
since 1994 and is one
of only 70 BIGGA Master
Greenkeepers, tells us the
76 Landscape & Urban Design
improvement the diffused
aeration system has made
to the water quality since
installation is “significant”:
“The Air Flo has had a big job
to do. Our holding reservoir
is a fantastic resource, but
the water at the bottom had
become too unhealthy to go
on the turf. of day for up to 10 years; as a
result it was starting to smell
and turn black in colour.”
“Under licence from the
Environmental Agency, the
water is piped from a brook
down stream through farming
fields, bringing pollutants
such as waste and silt with
it. So, even as it arrives, it’s
ready for a clean. Because it’s
not feasible to empty the old
reservoir water out before the
new water arrives, the water at
the bottom was very old and
probably hadn’t seen the light Sid says it’s this circulation
that will clean the water:
“Churning the water up from
the lower levels will allow
the aerobic bacteria to do
their work and metabolise the
nutrients. This process takes
time considering the volume of
water but we had water ready
to use within 12 weeks, which
is a significant improvement.”
The Air Flo 3 pumps air to
diffusers on the lake or pond
bed to release oxygen, creating
mass circulation to the bottom
and top water layers without
affecting the water’s surface.
The ultimate aim is for a
degree of self-sufficiency
and Sid and the club have
been working with the
Environmental Agency every
step of the way towards
ensuring the reservoir
is a sustainable entity;
holding good quality water
accumulated throughout the
year and ready for irrigation
in the summer and whenever
else needed.
Already a Toro machinery
customer, Sid decided to stay
with Reesink Turfcare and opt
for Otterbine for the job. The
fact that the Air Flo 3 is also
energy-efficient, quiet and
requires minimal maintenance
were additional benefits.
www.reesinkturfcare.co.uk