Environmental Effects of Golf Course Construction and Maintenance on Surrounding Residents in Niigata Prefecture

Abstract

In order to elucidate environmental effects of golf course construction and maintenance, golfcourses in Niigata Prefecture were selected as subjects. First, newspaper articles from 1990 to 1994 werecollected and analyzed. Next, a questionnaire survey was carried out on 24 golf clubs among 40 in the Prefecture. Third, effluent water quality of a golf course was analyzed. Then, quality and quantity of chemicals used for agriculture and golf courses were compared. Last, soil amounts moved during golf courses' construction were evaluated.As a result, it was found that residents near 14 golf courses opposed themselves to their construction, the main reason of which was the possibility of water quality deterioration. The pH, COD (Cr) and total nitrogen in the effluent from the golf course exceeded the criteria for agricultural water. The TOX was higher than that in the Shinano River water, but much lower than the chlorinated Shinano River water. It was also found that golf course construction does not always mean the increase in the amount of chemical compounds when compared with agricultural activities carried out in the same area. In contrast, the amount of nitrogen fertilizer used for a golf course was much larger than that for agriculture. The soil amount moved during golf course construction amounted to 159 to 828 million m3.