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County moves forward on golf-course nutrient plan; staff to file separate deviation requests on E. coli metric and wind limits
Summary
County staff presented a draft nutrient-management plan for the Fallon County golf course and said they will file two separate deviation requests with the state: one for using E. coli as the monitoring metric and a second to address wind-related irrigation restrictions.
Fallon County staff presented a draft nutrient-management plan for the county golf course and discussed filing two separate deviation requests with state regulators: one to use E. coli rather than total coliform as the metric, and another to seek an exception to the wind-speed-based irrigation restriction tied to proximity to airport property.
Staff said the draft sets a potential total nitrogen loading of about 25 milligrams per liter and noted the highest sample from the previous year measured 9 milligrams per liter. They recommended submitting a deviation request to change the monitoring metric from total coliform to E. coli, and filing a separate deviation tied to prevailing seasonal wind directions and the airport lease arrangement. Staff said previous approval examples exist and that the county would prepare two separate deviation requests so each could be considered on its own merits.
Operationally, staff also discussed irrigation and turf maintenance: sampling intervals (E. coli weekly, other nutrients monthly), repair and spare pumps, durable hose and cable to protect systems from muskrat damage, and the need for hand watering until normal irrigation can start. Staff said they plan to finalize the nutrient plan and send it to the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and to Matt Wade for review early next week, and asked for comments from commissioners by Thursday to finalize it before the next meeting.
Why it matters: the nutrient plan and deviation requests will determine the golf course's monitoring and irrigation rules and could affect compliance obligations, operations and future maintenance costs. The wind-deviation in particular depends on commitments from airport officials and potential land-use agreements.
Next steps: county staff will finalize the nutrient plan, file the two deviation requests separately, provide copies to DEQ and the named reviewer, and seek airport sign-off on the wind limitation where required.
