Lifeline replaced

 As we mentioned in January (Putting Gravity to Work), the discharge pipe on one of the pump stations needed to be replaced.  You can see in the picture below that a large stainless steel repair clamp got us through last year.  However, since this pipe is the single pathway of flow from the pump station--the equivalent of the body's aorta--we couldn't take a chance on additional leaks popping up going into this season.

The big dig for this project started early in the week, and once most of the soil was removed, we had to use a jackhammer to break away the concrete thrust block from the old discharge pipe.  In underground piping, thrust blocks are used to restrict pipe movement and separation, by transferring the energy into a larger area in the surrounding undisturbed soil.

We then were able to use our torch, cut the old discharge pipe and remove it.  At this point, we turned to the team from Killiam Irrigation to build and install the new discharge pipe.  As usual, whenever there's a tricky irrigation repair to be done, they have the answers.

The finished product looks great.  The next day our crew got busy mixing concrete, and poured over two tons to create a new thrust block.

Getting back to the need for thrust blocking.  With few exceptions, the 20 miles of PVC irrigation piping on the golf course is held together solely by the weight of the soil around it.  The piping is simply pushed together when assembled, and looks something like this:

The narrower tapered end is inserted into the larger gasketed end of the pipe.   The pump station produces up to 1,000 gallons per minute at 115 psi.  Having thrust blocks at fittings is critical to preventing the piping from coming apart. 

Going to new heights

 With the white stuff still covering the course, we decided this would be a good time to get some work done above ground level.  Over the past several years, the large trees in the wetlands crossing on #12 have slowly started to encroach into the line of flight, so some pruning was in order.

Not surprisingly, given the restrictions under our wetlands permit in the crossing areas, removing these trees is not an option.  However, we are permitted to treat overhanging branches as if they were growing onto your property from your neighbor's tree.  That is, we can cut them vertically to the edge of the clearing limit lines.   In the picture below, you can see that visibility has greatly improved (except for the blowing snow). 

One thing is for sure, this kind of work is not for anyone suffering from acrophobia.

We have one more full week of February, and it looks like a good bit of snow will melt--we are looking forward to spring!

More of the same

 After a couple of relatively snowless winters, we may have become somewhat complacent, and taken for granted that the course will be accessible every day.  However, a quick look at the number of rounds played so far this month (zero), makes it clear that there are times when neither golfers nor grounds staff can work on the turf.  

With another week bringing more snow, what can we do now?  Well, January and February are the two months of the year when we are permitted to prune the wetlands crossings, and this work must be completed using hand tools only.  Fortunately, snow on the ground is not an issue for completing this task.

We may have had visions of doing drainage work now,  but at least we are still able to complete this necessary annual project.  Many folks have had their fill of snow this winter, but soon enough, we will undoubtedly be commenting on how hot it is.

A heavy subject

 The team kept busy last week, however it wasn't working on a drainage project or sodding path ends on the golf course.  No, it was the storm which lasted from Sunday-Tuesday that had us digging out for several days.  If that wasn't enough, "Big Game" Sunday brought another shot of snow to deal with. 

One of the best pieces of equipment for this job is shown below.  This machine allows us to get right along the curbs and takes care of sidewalks in a single pass.  If it looks somewhat familiar, that's because when the ground isn't snow covered you may see it with a mower, not a blower, attached to the front end.

We all grumble that shoveling snow leads to aches and pains, but did you ever wonder how much weight you actually lifted digging out from a storm like we just had?  Let's do some simple math, and assume you shoveled an area 10' x 100', or 1,000 square feet:

• After melting the snow in the rain gauges, we had 1.2" of precipitation 
• There are 27,154 gallons of water per acre inch
• 27,154 gallons x 1.2" = 32,585 gallons of water per acre
• 32,585 gallons/43.56  thousand square feet per acre = 748 gallons of water per 1,000 square feet
• 748 gallons x 8.33 lbs./gallon = 6,231 lbs.

So there's your justification for some sore muscles--you lifted over three tons of snow!