MTESP Grant Information
EPA and GLPNO Project
Reducing Nutrient and Chemical Impacts in the Great Lakes
The purpose of this project is to prevent and reduce pollutant loading to Lake Michigan from golf courses by expanding the Michigan Turfgrass Environmental Stewardship Program’s environmental management tools and developing partnerships with other Lake Michigan basin states to share information on best environmental practices for golf courses.
The project has three primary elements:
1). development of two additional environmental modules for the Michigan Turfgrass Environmental Stewardship Program on nutrient best management practices and integrated pest management,
2). creation of an input tracking tool, and
3). export of Michigan Turfgrass Environmental Stewardship Program principles and resources, and sharing of environmental strategies among golf course managers in the Lake Michigan basin states.
MTF Biomass Energy RFP
The turfgrass industry in Michigan generates $1.86 billion annually towards Michigan’s economy and employs 30,000. Turfgrass covers 1.89 million acres in Michigan. Mowing is a routine management practice for all turfgrass areas. Grass clippings are typically returned to most turfgrass areas, but in certain situations, clippings are removed. Clipping removal is typical for highly manicured areas on golf courses and certain sports fields. Clippings that are removed either end up dispersed on other turf areas of lower maintenance or are added to an organic waste pile that may or may not be actively composted. Clippings dispersed on other turf areas, if not properly sited, may lead to surface water contamination or impact the quality of the turf where they are dispersed. Clippings added to a waste pile may also lead to off-site movement of nutrients, often create unpleasant odors, and may be unsightly if not properly screened. These clippings represent a viable biomass source for energy production on sites where they are generated.
There are approximately 865 golf courses in Michigan that account for 95,800 acres of the turf in Michigan. Of this total acreage, 34,500 acres is in high maintenance grasses where clippings are likely to be removed (greens, tees, and some fairways). Mowing of greens is typically daily, tees and fairways are often mowed every other day, and may be close to daily on some courses during the growing season. On one acre of green where 0.1 inch of clipping is removed, over 360 cu ft (13.33 cu yd) of clippings would be generated daily. Mowing of greens in a typical season would be for 120-150 days. At the lower figure, this represents 43,200 cu ft (1,600 cu yd) of clippings from each acre annually. At even half this amount, this represents 745,200,000 cu ft (27,600,000) of clippings generated from Michigan golf courses annually.
Golf courses are identified as the initial target group for this project because of their ready acceptance and early adoption of innovative practices through the MTESP, the ready outreach network in place through the MTESP and MTF, and the opportunity for golf courses to utilize a biomass source that they deal with daily as a waste product. Other turf segments are potential adopters of this technology in the future.