Pesticide Handling

Recent survey information collected and published by the Environmental Institute for Golf’s Environmental Profile Project indicates the level of safeguards currently enacted in the golf course management industry (Lyman et al. 2012). The survey included information on storage facilities and pesticide handling facilities. The most common characteristics of pesticide handling stations for average 18-hole golf facilities include:

  • spill kit located near mix/load area (60%)
  • anti-siphoning device on water line (56%)
  • emergency water shut-off valve (45%)
  • impervious floor (45%)
  • recycling of pesticide containers (36%)
  • tank-filling capacity greater than 50 gallons per minute (36%)
  • floors capable of containing liquid spills (35%)
  • overhead protection from weather (29%)
  • pesticide rinsate collection (27%)
  • stand-alone pesticide mixing tank (15%)

Pesticide Transport

Off-property transport of pesticides must comply with New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) regulations. Regulations require that the driver be trained for hazardous material transport. Drivers are required to carry the pesticide label and SDS sheet, have sufficient knowledge to handle any spills, and communicate with emergency responders in case of spills. Pesticides transported off the property or stored in a sprayer tank must be labeled with basic pesticide information as required under the Environmental Conservation Law.

Mixing and Loading

As with fertilizers, the mixing and loading of pesticides should be contained to minimize release of concentrated or diluted chemicals. These compounds should be mixed and loaded on a covered impervious surface properly sized and sloped to capture the maximum potential spill. NYSDEC requires the use of Backflow Prevention Devices (BPD) when public water is used with pesticide application equipment. NYSDEC pesticide storage guidelines include recommendations for mixing and loading: “Areas where pesticides are mixed, and equipment loaded or cleaned, should be appropriately bermed, with impermeable floors. The rinsate should be contained and reused for future mixing with the same concentrates. Indoor areas where concentrates are used should have adequate vapor venting.”

Use caution and read the labels carefully to ensure that pesticides mixed together are compatible. Water used for mixing should be tested for pH to ensure that tank mixes do not expire prematurely due to alkaline hydrolysis. Mixing and loading facilities are also discussed under the Facilities section of this web site.

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