FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CAST Releases New Special Publication on Water Quality / Quantity Issues for Turfgrass

March 19, 2008 … Ames, Iowa.  The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) is releasing a Special Publication titled Water Quality and Quantity Issues for Turfgrasses in Urban Landscapes (Special Publication 27, 298 pp.), the culmination of discussions and presentations from a 3-day CAST-sponsored workshop held in Las Vegas, Nevada.  The newly-published proceedings—presented as a hardcover book with a 16-page full-color inset—comprises 16 presentations from 25 water, turf, and landscape specialists.

Turfgrasses used in urban areas impact Americans daily in many ways.  There are an estimated 50 million acres of maintained turfgrass in the United States on home lawns, golf courses, sports fields, parks, playgrounds, cemeteries, and highway rights-of-way.  Proponents of maintained turfgrass argue its environmental and human benefits, including decreased runoff from storm events, erosion and air pollution control, heat dissipation, recreation and business opportunities, and enhanced property values.  Critics, however, suggest that turfgrasses in landscapes use extensive amounts of water, require excessive or unnecessary fertilizers and pesticides, disturb existing land use patterns, and waste time, money, and resources.  CAST is pleased to provide a venue for the continuing discussion.

Topics covered in the new CAST publication include:

• The Pending Water Crisis
• Low-Precipitation Landscapes
• Regulatory Considerations
• Municipal Policies
• Turfgrass and the Environment
• Soil-, Ground-, and Surface Water
• Plant Selection
• Turfgrass Water Use
• Cultural Practices
• Achieving Efficient Irrigation
• Recycled Water
• Public Policy Approaches
• Comprehensive Assessment

Water Quality and Quantity Issues for Turfgrasses in Urban Landscapes (Special Publication No. 27) may be ordered by visiting the CAST website at www.cast-science.org or by contacting the CAST office at 515-292-2125 (hardcopy: $75.00, plus shipping; CD: $50.00, includes shipping; electronic download, $25.00).

CAST is an international consortium of 38 scientific and professional societies. It assembles, interprets, and communicates credible science-based information regionally, nationally, and internationally to legislators, regulators, policymakers, the media, the private sector, and the public.

*********

Contacts:
Dr. James B. Beard, Coeditor—Phone: 979-693-4066; E-mail: isti@neo.tamu.edu
Dr. Michael P. Kenna, Coeditor—Phone: 405-743-3900; E-mail: mkenna@usga.org
Dr. John M. Bonner, CAST—Phone: 515-292-2125, ext. 25; E-mail: jbonner@cast-science.org