Facility BMP's

Facility BMP's

I have taken a position at a new golf course so this assignment will be about my previous place of employment. I have no pictures to include in this assignment as I never took any while working there.  What are Best Management Practices? Best Management Practices are ways of completing a job in the most timely manor to use the employees at an efficient rate.

Mix/Load Area

The mix and load area at the previous course was a impermeable surface (cement) and if any spills occurred, they would drain into a low lying area beside the shop and be filtered by the tall grasses that were present. Not the most ideal situation, but that is all that was in place. A simple catch basin would fix this imperfection. 

BMP's:

1. All chemicals and fertilizers were filled into the proper sprayer or spreader over the impermeable surface. 
2. The loading area lacks a roof over top of it. There are trusses over it, but no actual roof as of yet. Any rainfall will land on the mixing and loading area. 
3. The mixing area does not have a self contained sump. It drains out into the long grasses around the shop if anything happens to spill. This could easily be fixed by adding a sump or something similar. 
4. There is a shower for anyone to use at the clubhouse incase of any spills and an eyewash station is provided for all to use in the case of an emergency. 
5. A licensed applicator fills all of the fertilizer and/or chemicals.
6. The spray hose has been put into the sprayer before, but that could easily be changed with guidance from the superintendent or assistant. 
7. An emergency response plan is in place and is in the office for anyone who needs it. The superintendent also addresses all of the employees on what to do incase of a spill. The authorities never were reported as we didn't have a spill, but they would be notified immediately if necessary.

Fuel Storage Area

The fuel storage area was outside in a locked containment. The machines were filled with fuel over a gravel surface, so any spills would leak into the subsurface. This was not ideal, but an impermeable surface would easily fix this problem. All the jerry cans and oil mixes were also in the locked containment. 

BMP's:

1. All jerry cans were labelled either with the words Gasoline, Diesel, or Mixed (for string trimmers etc). This sped up the process so that each employee knew what they had to take for a certain daily task.
2. At this particular course, we had ingrained fuel tanks which was not ideal, but could be changed in the future. 
3. There was no spill containment in place at this certain course, but a simple cement barricade would work to fix this problem.
4. There was a roof over this feeling station, but the tanks were in ground.
5. The feeling station was protected and nobody would be able to hit it with a vehicle. 
6. The fuel handle would not be able to be placed back in its spot without the fuel being turned off, which is standard on most fuel handles.

Chemical Storage Area

At this course, there was only space to store pallets of granular fertilizers. The liquid fertilizers were stored in the office area of the shop. This was not the proper way of doing it, but the infrastructure was not there yet to hold the liquids. In my opinion, we should've ordered only what we need so that it was never left in the office area. The structure that the chemicals were stored in was not adequate as it had no ventilation and no spill containment. The walls were wooden which are not fire proof. 

BMP's:

1. There was no spill containment kit that I was ever aware of, but that would be easy to put in place. 
2. All the MSDS sheets were in binder in the office for anyone to have access to them. 
3. The ventilation for the granular fertilizers was adequate as it was stored in a fenced off area with a roof outside. 
4. All pesticides are kept dry from any potential rainfall. The only downfall is that the granular fertilizers are stored in an outside area that is not sealed, so moisture may end up getting inside of the bags if they are not sealed correctly. 
5. As mentioned earlier, more than a season's amount of chemical is stored at one time. This could be changed easily by knowing what you need for the season with an easy excel spreadsheet. 
6. The liquid chemicals are kept out of the cold weather in the office area, but this is not ideal as mentioned before.

Wash Bay Area

The wash bay area at this course is on the impermeable pad that is used for loading chemicals. There is one hose for everyone to use, but no air to blow off the grass clippings. All the water would go into a collection area and then would go through drainage to the long grass area by the shop. The long grass would then filter and take up the water.

BMP's:

1. There was no recycled water system. The water was shared with out irrigation water and was taken from the irrigation pond. 
2. Engine cleaning is done in the shop and the mechanic takes care of the waste.