By reducing its reliance on city water, Hillcrest Country Club in Bartlesville, Okla. contributes to conservation of municipal resources and supports efforts to ensure an adequate water supply for the wider community during periods of increased demand or drought.

Over the last five years, Hillcrest Country Club in Bartlesville, Okla. has invested more than $1 million into bolstering its self-reliance by building its own water pumping station to water its greens, the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise reported.

“The Caney River provided an excellent opportunity for us to take control of our water consumption and reduce our reliance on Bartlesville city water,” said Nathan Johnson, HIllcrest General Manager. “This has been a 10-year process, and in 2018 we started phase one of the project.”

By reducing its reliance on Bartlesville city water, the club contributes to conservation of municipal resources and supports efforts to ensure an adequate water supply for the wider community during periods of increased demand or drought, he told the Examiner-Enterprise.

The water is pumped directly out of the Caney River into two settling ponds on the club’s grounds, then the water flows into a larger fill pond, the Examiner-Enterprise reported. A pump house draws the water from the fill pond and filters it for use throughout the grounds.

“We used local companies to do most of the work for the project,” Johnson said. “That was really important for us.”

Hillcrest uses around 25 million gallons each year to water its golf course and pays a fee to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board for the water it pumps out of the river, he told the Examiner-Enterprise.

“We went through the same permitting process everyone goes through to pump water out of the Caney,” Johnson said. “It’s 25 million gallons less the city has to provide.”

Currently, the independent source of water is used only for the grounds, the Examiner-Enterprise reported. Still, Hillcrest is working with the Oklahoma Health Department to switch its pool off city water to its independent water source after further filtering.

Because the city pools are closed due to the water shortage, Hillcrest offered its pool to allow the YMCA to provide swim lessons four days a week during the summer, the Examiner-Enterprise reported.

“We follow all the outdoor water use regulations and just fill it on our day when it comes to our pool,” Johnson said.

If the city implements stage four water restrictions, which would prohibit all outdoor water use such as filling pools, Johnson said Hillcrest’s board of directors will then discuss changes to pool operations, the Examiner-Enterprise reported.