Men’s Golf Club vows to support RWC in seeking regional recycled water solutions

By Sam Richards

Staff writer

Thursday, August 28 (8:30 a.m.): To think that with a normal hot inland East Bay summer, things probably would be even worse.

But even with cooler-than-average temperatures during most of 2025, it looks as though Rossmoor Golf will use substantially more water this year than last, and that more of it than usual will have to be purchased from the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), as opposed to the free water from Tice Creek that Rossmoor can draw using its riparian rights.

Mark Heptig, Rossmoor’s director of golf, said that, between June 17 and July 18 this year, Rossmoor’s two golf courses used an average of 335,683 gallons of water per day, up dramatically from the average of 183,678 gallons per day during that same period in 2024.

“I fear that (usage) will keep going up over time,” said Heptig, adding that “if we had had a really hot summer, we’d be in a pickle.”

According to the RainDrop app, rainfall totals in the 94595 ZIP code, which includes Rossmoor and unincorporated Saranap, the year-to-date (Aug. 15) rain total is 8.42 inches, about 40% less than the average of 14.36 inches for the same period in a typical year.

Exacerbating the situation is substantially less water coming from residential “swamp cooler” air conditioning systems in some Rossmoor Mutuals. These swamp coolers, which have generated substantial condensate that eventually flows back into Tice Creek, are gradually being replaced by more modern AC systems that don’t generate the condensate.

With less creek water available, Rossmoor was forced to turn to EBMUD and buy more district water. That water is getting increasingly expensive; the cost rose 8.5% in 2024, and Heptig said it went up 8% in 2025.

And the “spigot” to access that water, which wasn’t turned on until July in 2024, was opened up in April this year, as creek flow diminished (Heptig was quick to add that EBMUD water isn’t necessarily used every day).

He said he expects he will have to ask for another $100,000 this year to pay for golf course water. The original 2025 golf budget called for spending $350,000 on water in 2025; Heptig said he expects that will now rise to about $450,000.

Heptig said he’s confident the RWC Board will do what it can to ease the problems. In June, the Rossmoor Walnut Creek (RWC) Board made “evaluating water conservation and recycled water opportunities” a 2026 goal ‒ again.

Board members have said it will probably take regional cooperation ‒ Rossmoor teaming up with water providers such as EBMUD or Central Contra Costa Sanitary District (Central San), and perhaps with cities including Walnut Creek ‒ to extend pipeline systems, or even to build a new “satellite water recycling facility” in or near Rossmoor that would create irrigation water from wastewater. Such a facility likely would cost at least $22 million.

The Rossmoor Men’s Golf Club (RMGC) wants to lend its support to whatever actions the RWC Board takes. At the Aug. 8 Golf Advisory Committee meeting, committee member Pat Iacullo, a member of RMGC, said his club officially encourages the Board to pursue regional water solutions.

“The time has come, and the cost of water just keeps going up and up,” said Iacullo, adding that he hopes his club can take an active part in any such regional water discussions.

“We’re going to have to be more vigilant with water as we move forward, that’s for sure,” Heptig said at that same meeting.

A few days later, Heptig said he hopes the RWC Board will approve money needed to remove turf near the last eight tee boxes on the Dollar course that haven’t undergone the turf reduction that the other 19 tee boxes on the Creekside and Dollar courses already have had. Simply not watering them, and letting them turn brown and die, he said, isn’t really an option.

“People who pay greens fees expect things to be green,” said Heptig, adding that his crews generally keep things on the “dry side” of regular course watering. Still, if there’s one thing the golfing public can do to help Rossmoor get through its water worries, Heptig said, it would be to be tolerant of some brown patches here and there.

“People should be willing to put up with slightly drier conditions for a while,” he said.