FieldTurf Leading Surge of Enhanced Water Capture and Conservation Efforts

Innovation in sports facility design is helping communities turn excess water into a vital resource

FieldTurf’s artificial turf solutions are, by their definition, uniquely effective in supporting water conservation. Whether installed at a community field, professional sports venue, or private residence, each FieldTurf field saves an estimated two million gallons of water annually compared to natural grass. As technology evolves, these fields are increasingly vital in advancing conversations about water collection, storage, and redistribution.

An example of this growing role is the new FieldTurf soccer pitch installed at the Maple Manor Soccer Complex in Hazle Township, PA.

The Maple Manor field was installed earlier this year and features a large underground storage facility that captures stormwater runoff. This facility connects to a spray irrigation system, which includes a pump house, an intricate pipe network, and spray irrigation heads. Using this system, the runoff water is repurposed to irrigate an adjacent natural grass practice field.

FieldTurf is part of Tarkett Sports, which has strengthened its design and construction capabilities to more effectively execute community projects similar and complementary to Maple Manor’s. These efforts have seen enhancements to facility design services available through Tarkett Sports Construction and Tarkett Sports Design.

This has included acquiring Anchor Management Group, which enables Tarkett Sports to deliver on an array of facility designs, including “vertical” design-build projects (e.g., complexes equipped with weight rooms, field houses, and wellness centers). In addition, Tarkett Sports launched AMPERE, a new brand, with a highly experienced team, specializing in master planning, architecture, renovations, and conceptual visualizations.

With these expanded services in mind, FieldTurf collaborated with the Hazleton Area School District and ELA Sport to design and construct the spray irrigation system. It is one of several design-build improvements at the Maple Manor soccer complex.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) required the system as a best management practice to address environmental impacts from the proposed site design. These impacts included stormwater runoff rate reduction, volume mitigation, and water quality.

Although fields with storage facilities and corresponding spray irrigation systems are not yet commonplace, there is increasing optimism about artificial turf's evolving role in conserving and reusing water. FieldTurf has seen this enthusiasm serve as the main driver behind other projects.

Customized Water Capture

In Marion, MA, Tabor Academy recently installed new FieldTurf artificial turf at its Duffy Football Field and Fish Field, respectively. The latter facility offers another example of how synthetic fields can solve a critical challenge, while providing added benefits.

The Fish Field renovation included installing a custom drainage system beneath the turf. The school wanted a solution for harvesting rainwater that could serve two roles: averting further flooding in the campus Field House and using the captured water to irrigate upper campus fields at risk of receiving insufficient nutrients.

In addition to providing students with an enhanced playing surface, the drainage system, designed and built by Tarkett Sports, has helped Tabor achieve another goal: improving its eco-footprint.

The Tabor and Maple Manor projects represent a growing desire by institutions to alleviate the impact of severe rainfall. They also demonstrate how artificial turf's sustainability advantage extends well beyond the field of play, helping to serve neighboring athletic facilities essential to community well-being.

The full potential of artificial turf in reusing and repurposing water has yet to be tapped. As Tarkett Sports and FieldTurf continue to be at the forefront of innovations in facility design that will help realize this potential, we look forward to playing a role in progressing the sustainability plans for communities of all sizes.