Environment FAQ

A city study performed in 1994 estimates that the golf course drains two-thirds of the environmentally sensitive north branch of Thornton Creek during non-winter months to irrigate the turf, at a rate of about 1.2 cfs (32,300 gallons per hour).

With climate change and extreme weather events such as heatwaves in Seattle, this need for increasing water to maintain the golf course will only accelerate.

The city of Seattle Thornton Creek Watershed Report notes:

Water is removed from the North Branch of Thornton Creek during the spring, summer, and fall to irrigate the Jackson Park Golf Course. A brief study conducted by SPU in 1994 confirmed that the golf course diverts approximately 1.2 cfs, slightly less than the permitted amount. (section 3-20)

… According to SPU estimates, the golf course withdraws… up to two-thirds of the creek flow at this point. (section 4-32)

Pesticide use #

Reporting by the Seattle times in 2017 highlighted that Seattle Parks and Recreation sprayed on average 19,000 gallons of pesticides every year, with nearly all of the most toxic “EPA Tier-1” pesticides used on 4 major golf courses, including Jackson Park. Tier-1 pesticides “include those determined to be likely carcinogens, endocrine disrupters or a hazard to birds, fish or bees”.

The inset data visualization shows that 1,800 gallons of Tier-1 toxic pesticides were used at Jackson Park every year.

Flooding and Heatwaves #

Golf courses prioritize shallow-rooted grass species such as Poa annua and Agrostis palustris not native to the Pacific Northwest. Due to their thick mat-like quality, in rainy seasons they cause runoff and can contribute to flooding. In dry seasons, they can die easily in heatwave events, requiring expensive renovations.

The Seattle-commissioned Lund Golf Course report includes this heatwave incident in Jackson Park:

It was mentioned that on two separate occasions, the complete lack of water for 48 hours caused major issues for your shallow-rooted Poa annua-dominated putting surfaces. While the greens were able to reasonably survive the first lack of water incident, the second incident occurred during August, with major turf loss on most of the putting surfaces in full sun, and especially those that had no shade during the warm summer afternoon hours. (page 43)