Local golf courses respond to California’s drought crisis

Last week Governor Brown announced that California will faces mandatory water cutbacks statewide. While local water agencies continue to grapple with what that means for Valley residents, the Coachella Valley golf community has responded to the executive order.

Today we received a joint statement from the Southern California Golf Association (SCGA), Hi-Lo Chapter Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), Golden State Chapter of the Club Manager’s Association of America (CMAA), Southern California Section of the PGA of America (SCPGA), and California Golf Course Owners Association (CGCOA)

* * * * * * * *

2013 was the driest year on record. 2014 was the hottest year on record. March 2015 was the hottest March on record. We are in the 4th year of sustained drought. The Sierra snowpack upon which Southern Californians rely for much of their water is at 6% of normal, the lowest April 1 reading in state history. California’s reservoirs, already badly drawn down, are going to be drawn down further as spring turns to summer turns to fall in 2015. The aquifer that sustains all life and economic activity in the Coachella Valley remains in a state of mild overdraft.

All of this has led Governor Brown to issue an unprecedented Executive Order calling for mandatory water reductions – a first for the State of California.

Because they are not “domestic users” under the terms of the Order, Coachella Valley’s golf courses do not come under the gubernatorial directive. However, the Coachella Valley golf community is committed to not just continuing the work it has undertaken in collaboration with the Coachella Valley Water District to meet the reduced consumption goals of the Coachella Valley Water Management Plan, it is committed to accelerating that effort. In addition, the normative golf leadership organizations parties to this communique will encourage its members to voluntarily comply with the terms of the Governor’s Order as they are ultimately defined and prescribed by the Coachella Valley Water District.

Shared sacrifice unites communities. The Coachella Valley golf community is committed to working across all communities and all lines to share in the difficult work ahead.