The Environment Agency’s Salmons Brook flood prevention scheme – constructed in 2014 in response to dramatic increases in high-volume storm events and residential flooding - was called into action for the first time in early 2021. As per the scheme’s design, this deluged the 1st, 2nd, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th & 18th holes, leaving them flooded up to 3 feet deep in places.
Within 24 hours of the flood surge, the Hydraway Drainage System installed by Turfdry as part of the scheme had cleared all of the floodwater from the course – as shown by the photos kindly shared by Head Greenkeeper Dane Watts, taken on the 14th & 15th January.
As the banks of Salmons Brook are higher than the adjacent fairways, the golf club had feared that – despite the impressive performance of the Hydraway in dealing with more regular high-rainfall events – floodwater would be trapped on the fairways for some considerable time after the water level had dropped, not only restricting the course’s playability, but also contributing to compaction and challenges for healthy grass-coverage. This had represented one of the primary challenges during the design phase of the project, as the level of the drainage system’s outfall into Salmons Brook was too high to allow for the minimum 1 in 200 fall required to ensure conventional plastic pipe drains do not become quickly blocked by silt.
Thanks to Hydraway’s effectiveness even when installed at zero gradient however, the laser-graded design for the drainage system ensures rapid de-watering of even challenging topography, and returned the course to a playable state the very next day. This is due not only to the Turfdry Drainage System’s consistent track-record of delivering exceptionally quick drainage performance, but also to the laboratory-proven clog-resistance of Hydraway’s geotextile layer, which does not allow sediment into the drain - thereby allowing for successful installation at minimal or even zero gradient.
For more projects where Hydraway has been effectively installed with zero gradient, take a look at our projects at Julie Rose & Jim Peters Athletics Stadiums, and Aspatria & Hellingly Rugby Clubs, or click here to view a selection of Turfdry’s golf course drainage portfolio.
