Phil George, Las Campanas Board President, is pleased to announce that Las Campanas has successfully resolved the critical strategic issue of providing adequate irrigation for the two Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses — in perpetuity.
Earlier this week the Santa Fe County Commissioners approved the Club at Las Campanas as a raw water customer of the County water utility. This gives the Club ability to draw up to 600 acre-feet of raw water annually from the Rio Grande River. This action – coupled with the in-process construction of a pipeline and installation of related pumping equipment – ensures Las Campanas access to an adequate supply of irrigation water in perpetuity.
Las Campanas will begin purchasing raw river water in mid-2012, when othe Las Campanas pipeline project is completed. This $3.4 million project is currently on-schedule and on-budget. As previously reported, Las Campanas has secured construction financing from their bank, which will be converted into a long-term loan after completion. All costs have been provided for in the capital and operating budget for 2011 and 2012, and there are no plans to assess members for this project. Until the pipeline/pumping project is completed, we will continue to irrigate our courses from existing water sources, primarily effluent purchased from The City of Santa Fe.
Phil George is also pleased to report that Las Campanas’s aggressive and on-going water conservation efforts are expected to reduce future course irrigation needs by nearly 30 percent, compared to prior years. These efforts include: (a) reducing the course turf area that requires irrigation by about 25 percent (some 40 acres or 1.9 million square-feet of turf have been removed), (b) installing more efficient sprinkler heads, (c) removing literally hundreds of old sprinklers, and (d) improving our watering and fertilizing processes. These changes also are resulting in healthier turf with deeper root systems and improved playing conditions.
The achievement of this strategic objective has been a long and challenging process, and your continuing support and understanding is appreciated.