Course "Water reuse for golf course irrigation - Risk assessment"
In the face of increasing water scarcity, water reuse is vital for the sustainability of golf in Portugal. In addition to meeting the water requirements of the turfgrass, Reclaimed Water (RW) provides valuable nutrients for fertilization. However, to safeguard public health and the environment and to mitigate risks such as soil salinity, it is necessary to design water reuse systems for golf course irrigation while considering the sector's specificities: maintaining playability requirements, potential user contact with reclaimed water, the role of storage lakes in enhancing water quality, and the adaptation of risk management barriers to the context of these sports fields.
Regulation and standardization are fundamental to ensuring confidence in the safety of reclaimed water and promoting its social acceptance. To this end, the ISO 16075-7:2025 standard "Guidelines for treated wastewater use for irrigation projects — Part 7: Golf courses and other sports fields" was recently published.
On May 14, 2026, the course "Water reuse in golf course irrigation - Risk assessment" will take place in Lisbon, at the National Laboratory for Civil Engineering (LNEC). This course presents an expedited methodology for qualitative risk assessment in non-potable water reuse, with its application in golf course irrigation illustrated through practical group exercises.
The course is intended for managers and technicians from entities responsible for golf course management, public entity technicians, consultants, designers, Master’s and PhD students, and others interested in the subject.