Diablo Country Club, located in the eastern San Francisco Bay area, sits at the foot of Mt. Diablo, which provides a majestic backdrop for club activities. The club is no stranger to water issues. “Water has been an issue here forever,” explains Chief Operating Officer Frank Cordeiro, CCM. “The club has had to incorporate water into its planning for over a hundred years.”
The guiding principles have been twofold. There is a sense of responsibility and stewardship the club has cultivated that applies to both its members and the larger community. Especially in drought-stricken California, this future focus has a practical side to it. Cordeiro explains it this way: “What we must do as a business is to stay ahead of the curve. There are clubs in our industry that have been told, with virtually no notice, that potable water will no longer be delivered to their facility [for the purpose of irrigation]..” Even when the situation is not quite that stark, water scarcity and/or cost can put clubs in an economic squeeze that is ultimately just as threatening. Cordeiro observes that the already high cost of water coupled with rates that continue to rise will make the economics of operation untenable for some clubs.
But another dimension of social responsibility enters into the club’s deliberations. Says Cordeiro, “This is a generational endeavor. As stewards of this great club and as stewards of a limited, essential resource, what can we do as a club to insure that we do the right thing in terms of the environment and in terms of a sustainable model for the next hundred years?”
A BOLD INITIATIVE
Diablo has taken a dramatic step in seeking to secure a reliable source of water for its future. Other clubs have worked diligently to adjust their water usage and sourcing. For example, in Ironwood Country Club’s case study on page 19, we have considered how courses are relying less and less on potable sources of water while also seeking some relief from escalating water rates.
Diablo is simply moving up the supply chain, positioning itself closer to the source of its irrigation supplies. They have forged a private-public partnership that will soon result in the construction of an onsite satellite water treatment plant. In a very real sense, Diablo will produce its own water, sourcing the water it needs to maintain its course for generations. The club will no longer be just a consumer of recycled water, but a producer as well.
Within two years, the club expects to break ground on a state-of-the art facility that will recycle sewage that comes from its community using a proven, effective and safe technology—Membrane Bioreactor (MBR). The recycled water will then be used for irrigation purposes.
HERE COMES THE SLUDGE!
Soon to become part of the larger community of water infrastructure, Diablo will “intercept” sewage being piped down from the community residents upstream in the wastewater stream. This effluent would otherwise be headed for the regional wastewater treatment facility. This planned diversion by Diablo is only a portion of what the main treatment facility would otherwise accept, but it makes sense to find a useful application for the sewage.
The undertaking is a demonstration project, with many eyes on its outcome. Cordeiro explains that the club has followed a long and winding road to get to this point. Financing and construction are not unlike traditional projects; however, coordinating the necessary parties and understanding the complex web of state and local agencies has taken (and continues to take) patience and perseverance.
SEEKING BENEFITS/ABSORBING COSTS
Municipalities—water and sanitation districts—are sometimes in a tough spot. On the one hand, in a water-constrained era it makes good sense to recycle and reuse water. Privatization of previously public services also has its role as governments seek to shore up the infrastructure. Clubs like Diablo are likely to have annual water bills in the neighborhood of half a million dollars—and rising. As customers of this scale are forced to consider alternatives, water districts may require significant adjustments to their revenue model.
Diablo’s “demonstration project” will likely be instructive throughout Northern California and the state. It will be watched by clubs, by communities, by water districts and, indeed, by all those who see new possibilities for cooperation and collaboration in public-private partnerships.
Clubs have bolstered the communities in which they have existed from the very beginning. As the complexity and inter-connectedness of our society becomes more apparent, important institutions like clubs are likely to find opportunities such as Diablo’s. The benefits that accrue are social, environmental and economic—the so-called “triple bottom line.”
THE PAYOFF
Detailed return on investment calculations are likely to vary according to geographic areas, climate variations and the particularities of water sourcing, but the logic is the same. The club takes some portion of the capital costs upfront, but then hopes to cover some of the cost in annual water savings over the life of the project. The primary objective, however, is a sustainable source of water for generations and the ability to give back billions of gallons of potable water to the community over the lifespan of the project. A classic win-win!
This much is clear: Diablo Country Club is playing the long game, one that places a premium on securing its water future and on terms over which they have substantial control. As Cordeiro might say, it’s the right thing to do.