By Dianebulley
Northamptonshire,
United Kingdom 
Does anyone with municipal parks experience know how many gallons of water it would need on 2 full size football pitches to save April sown germinated grass seedlings from dying in the hot weather ? If the roots die, it will be a quagmire next winter. It is land raised by bulldozers which was formerly an ironstone quarry. There are no springs or tree shading. I am only used to managing a small garden in these conditions. The football teams have no money to pay Anglia Water for a seperate mains supply pipe or metered water from the clubroom kitchen. I have suggested they
apply to the Recycling Centre Manager for reclaimed 60 gal.tanks from 1950s council houses, installed on 2' high brick bases, to give a pressured flow weight, with downpipes from the Clubhouse roof guttering, with a 150 foot plastic feeder pipe to clip onto the taps at the bottom of each tank when needed. How many of these tanks would they need ?
14 Jun, 2015
Answers
What about a couple of liquid bulk containers - fairly cheap on eBay or contact farmers - they hold 1000 litres/ approx 220 gallons.
and add a small pump to the hose to give a bit more power.
I would' have thought planning permission was necessary to put in a water diverted on the downpipe - most authorities would see it as being responsible! The difficulty might be in turning the area into something resembling the local tip with miscellaneous containers 'floating' about. I'd get a plan showing how their going to be concealed and not creating an eyesore.
15 Jun, 2015
I was just looking for a Municipal Parks employee who knows how much water grass seeded areas absorb in a dought.
15 Jun, 2015
I think Parks Depts mostly use Angels' tears. Certainly in the 20+ years that I lived next door to school playing fields I never saw them using any artificial watering and we don't water our cricket pitch (usually there's a hosepipe ban by the time grass needs wetting.
Btw hosepipe bans apply to hoses connected to water storage vessels as well as those connected to the mains supply.
15 Jun, 2015
All is going well with the trailer/water tank system. He
has access to a private well. The football club havent any money to pay for mains water. Takes 150 gallons to the
two football pitches twice weekly and the seeded grass is still green. So the answer I was looking for is 600 gallons
a week.
28 Jun, 2015
He might be using 150 gallons - I seriously doubt whether it needs that amount. Grass is resilient stuff and doesn't need pampering - they don't artificially water Wimbledon tennis courts during the weeks of the tournament and professional cricket fields don't get watered during the days of play (the local league team I follow doesn't water the field at all - that may be down to geology and geography but watering would turn it into a mud bath.)
28 Jun, 2015
There is a big difference between newly sown grass,
newly set turf squares, and established grass playing fields.
Thank you to everyone who helped with this problem.
Now solved.
28 Jun, 2015
Previous question
My son has a 150 gallon modern water tank in his trailer, which he will fill from a private well, and take to the football
pitch 4 miles away. I have recommended he does this
at least twice a week during the summer. Also he sees the manager of the Recycling Centre to see if he has any more
discarded water tanks of this type. Also the landowner to see if he can get the planning permission varied without cost for a down pipe to be put it to save water from the
Clubroom roof. Because water storage should have been put in when it was built.
He keeps telling me water is heavy, every gardener knows that !
15 Jun, 2015