Las Vegas, Nevada (Dec. 12, 2015)–There are three Las Vegas golf courses that make up the Golf Summerlin trifecta, and combined the courses are saving more than 172 million gallons of water annually. Overall, more than 3.1 million square feet of turf has been converted to water-efficient landscaping. Recently, the Water Conservation Coalition recognized the efforts of the Golf Summerlin staff and ownership with the annual Las Vegas Water Hero Award. Golf Summerlin was part of a group of other businesses that are saving an estimated 250 gallons of water annually. –By Brian Hurlburt.
“These Water Hero Award recipients represent companies and individuals that have made water efficiency and conservation a part of their everyday practice”, said Doug Bennett, Southern Nevada Water Authority conservation manager. “Southern Nevada leads the state, the southwest and the nation in water conservation, thanks in large part to their efforts.”
The Water Conservation Coalition (WCC) is a public/private partnership formed by community leaders to help increase water-efficient business practices within the Southern Nevada business community and promote community-wide water conservation. The WCC provides information and encouragement to business peers in an effort to boost participation in water conservation and incentive programs. The WCC carries out its mission by providing the community with sound data, education, committed leadership and initiatives that respect our water resources and quality of life in Southern Nevada.
Brian Bagwell, the Director of Agronomy for Golf Summerlin, is one of the main people behind the conservation efforts. Bagwell, as do most golf course superintendents in Southern Nevada, keeps an eagle eye on water use on a seemingly minute-by-minute basis. Bagwell was recently described in an article in the Las Vegas Sun like this:
“In his nine years as director of golf course maintenance at Golf Summerlin, Brian Bagwell has become a wizard of water efficiency, a guru of Bermuda grass, a zealot for xeriscape landscaping and an expert in space-age irrigation. Bagwell is an unsung hero in the turf wars that are reshaping the terrain and complexion of golf courses across the Southwest as the worst drought on record persists with no relief in sight.”
That about sums up the ability of Bagwell and the rest of the team at Golf Summerlin. The three courses at Golf Summerlin are the par 72 Highland Falls Golf Club and Palm Valley Golf Club, and Eagle Crest, a par 60 executive course. All are open to the public and among the most enjoyable in Las Vegas to play. Bagwell is always quick to give credit to the entire team at Golf Summerlin for making all of the efforts possible.
Others earning recognition with the Water Hero Award were:
Boyd Gaming completed upgrades on eight cooling towers at its Southern Nevada properties, resulting in annual saving of approximately 48.2 million gallons of water.
Picerne Real Estate Group installed Smart Irrigation controllers at 17 of its Southern Nevada properties, generating annual savings of nearly 27 million gallons of water.
Larry Simon is currently chair of the Water Conservation Coalition as well as president of the Southern Nevada Homebuilders Association. He is Director of Project Management for the Nevada Division of Pardee Homes.