Evaluation of Buffer Strips on Golf Courses Located Throughout Northeast Illinois and Southeast Wisconsin in Comparison to Algal Growth in Local Ponds

Abstract

Today’s world has caused our soils to become degraded due to the extreme use of synthetic fertilizers and heavy machinery. These degraded soils have led to an increase in runoff into local waterways. Mass farming has increased the implementation of synthetic fertilizers, however farmers are beginning to realize that there are ways in which they can reduce the runoff into these local waterways. The most common method is through the use of buffer strips. Although farming is a leading cause of synthetic fertilizer runoff, golf courses across the country are putting more synthetic fertilizers into the ecosystem than large-scale farm operations. With over 13,000 golf courses across the United States, water features located within or adjacent to these courses are at extreme risk of containing high nutrient levels. These high nutrient levels can lead to eutrophication, which can cause a decrease in the ecosystem’s biodiversity. The objective of this study is to test whether or not runoff of fertilizers into golf course ponds is decreased due to natural buffer areas surrounding the pond, and if this reduction leads to a decrease in algal blooms within these ponds. Three courses containing three similar pond types were selected across Northeast Illinois and Southeast Wisconsin. Water and soil samples were collected from the nine total ponds to determine if nutrient amounts found within the ponds was affected by the use of a buffer strip that surrounded the ponds. Although many of the statistically calculated results were not statistically significant, trends did show that ponds containing no buffer strip had higher levels of nutrients than those that did not.