golf courses accused of over-watering the greens

Thirsty vegetables planted on a golf course in the Limousin to protest against the watering of the greens in times of drought. This is the shock action of the Extinction Rebellion movement. “We question the priority we give to the use of water”, says one of its members. Environmental associations share this anger. Activists would like to be consulted before golf course watering exemptions are set.

“We normally have a chair waiting for us, it’s provided for by law, but the prefect has refused to invite us for three years”denounces Antoine Gatet, jurist of Sources and rivers of Limousin. Faced with criticism, professionals attest that they water to a minimum. “Currently, we consume about 100 cubic meters of water per day. We water the course only with the water that is captured in our twelve ponds. This water comes only from runoff”justifies Dominique Merle, vice-president of Golf de la Porcelaine. Thanks to this new watering system, this golf in Limoges (Haute-Vienne) has halved its water consumption.