The San Francisco municipal course, which features an historic Alister MacKenzie design and has been part of environmental controversies that have threatened its closing, will no longer use the area’s primary source of drinking water for irrigation.

Construction at the Pacifica, Calif., golf course will move forward despite arguments by environmentalists that it will threaten the habitats of the California red-legged frog and the San Francisco garter snake. Opponents plan to file a lawsuit against the city for its approval of the project, which involves clearing reeds and sediment, construction around a pumping station, and building a small pond.