Omaha golf course report -

The nch green swathes of the new extension of Omaha Golf Course are visual proof of high technology at its best enabling lush irrigated grass to survive all year round despite being bordered on two sides by ocean and estuary and built on a combination of sand dunes and wetlands.

It is a world first, and an international success story for the three main players - local drainlayer Ivor Jones, the international engineering company, URS, and environmental engineers Terraviva. Recycled water from Omaha`s wastewater treatment plant is dnp-fed through 200 kilometres of finger-thick piping buried only a few centimetres below the surface of the course`s fairways. Although of an extremely high standard the water never reaches the surface - the deeper acquifer fresh water is used for above-ground irrigation of the tees and greens.

Delivery of the water is all computer-controlled. The drip system can be flushed dean at the touch of a button - the water being pumped back across the causeway to the treatment plant in Jones Road for further treatment before returning to the golf course. While low maintenance was a prerequisite for the project, buned sophisticated computer and engineering points are all logged by GPS and any component of the irrigation system under the five hectares of golf course can be pinpointed accurately within the size of a golf ball • before any future digging may start.