While taking water samples from the lakes this month I noticed water bubbling up at the side of the lake on Bobcat 6. Due to the drought, the lake was low enough that it had exposed what is normally underwater and not seen. I took this video and then collected a sample from it just to see how it compared. The findings were quite remarkable.
The water coming out of this spring is about 20% seawater. These springs feed the lake that irrigates the Bobcat Course. Fortunately, it is diluted with rainwater and runoff when it does rain. But this is why it is so important that we get some fresh rainwater occasionally.
May 2021 was the driest May on record in Fort Myers. The salinity levels tripled in that lake in one month. What this means is that low mowed turf, aka the greens, will slow their growth and recovery rate. The recent rains were so important to the success of being able to grow high quality turf on a consistent basis.
