Chelan explores water, power savings to help replace golf course irrigation

CHELAN — The city is exploring whether lower water and electricity costs could help pay to replace the aging irrigation system at Lake Chelan Golf Course.

Representatives Brad Myers and Ira Nolander of McKinstry presented a proposed $144,974 investment-grade audit to the Chelan City Council on Sept. 22. The study would develop a project scope and cost, estimate utility savings and examine ways to finance the work. Council discussed the proposal but took no action.

The golf course’s irrigation system is more than 50 years old and has exceeded its useful life, Parks and Recreation Director Audrey Cooper said. A 2021 assessment recommended replacing its pipes, sprinkler heads, controls, valves and pumps. The city has since paid Mears Design Group for irrigation design work, which McKinstry said it would use rather than start over.

Nolander, a McKinstry project manager, described a project extending well beyond sprinklers. The audit would examine roughly 4,000 feet of underground piping feeding two irrigation ponds, work on the ponds and pump stations and options for improving the intake at the lake. When the lake level exposes that intake, the course must switch to city water, he said.

The company would also look at aging water lines serving the course’s fountains and restrooms, along with exterior lighting that could be replaced with LEDs.

What the work might save remains unknown. Nolander said McKinstry would analyze the course’s electrical bills, but determining water savings is more difficult because irrigation use is not currently metered. He suggested adding meters to identify losses along the system and at the ponds.

Under McKinstry’s proposed approach, the audit would produce a more detailed design, a maximum project price and projected savings. If the city proceeded with construction through the energy-savings contracting arrangement, McKinstry would guarantee an agreed level of savings. Councilmembers asked whether commissioning the audit would commit Chelan to construction with the company. Nolander said it would not: The audit cost would become part of the larger project if the city moved ahead, or the city would pay for the audit if it chose another course.

Mayor Erin McCardle said the approach could allow the city to put money it now spends on utilities toward the capital project. She cautioned that the audit must establish how much of the replacement cost those savings could actually cover.

Councilmember Agustin Benegas questioned how the investment fit into the golf course’s larger financial picture. Cooper said the current system takes staff time to repair and operate, while reliable irrigation is essential to maintaining a course that can sell tee times.

“Irrigation is the core component to maintenance of a golf course,” Cooper said.

The city is separately evaluating proposals to operate and maintain the golf course, with a council discussion targeted for Oct. 6. Cooper said the city would remain responsible for capital improvements whether its staff continued operating the course or a contractor took over those duties.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media