How will an in-fill system impact the environment?

Many in-fill systems have been installed around the country and have shown no negative environmental impact.   In fact, two Fieldturf fields were recently approved by King County Department of Development and Environmental Services and built adjacent to Perrigo Stream in Redmond, a Level 2 salmon stream and wetlands.

The toxicology tests on Fieldturf fields in King County state, "No toxicity was detected in water samples collected at either Grass Lawn Park ball field or the Microsoft Campus ball field #3.  Zinc and copper concentrations in water samples collected from these fields comply with State and Federal water quality standards."    Storm water samples from infill system fields consistently show only trace amounts of zinc and copper and are otherwise clean.  They consistently show less than .006 mg/L for Zinc and for Copper.  The DOE Water quality standard for zinc is .0937 mg/L and copper is .0136 mg/L.  They even pass the higher EPA Freshwater Acute Criteria of .0960 mg/L for Zinc and .0108 mg/L for Copper.

On behest of the Bainbridge Island School District and BIYSC, Windward Environmental has created this document, examining the environmental risks of playing on turf fields.

Fieldturf has also created a clearing house for concerns around turf here.
 
There are avoided environmental impacts with an in-fill system instead of grass.  With an in-fill system, there will be no need for fertilizers and pesticides and CO2 emissions from lawn mowers will not be necessary.  Furthermore, the current demand by youth soccer and lacrosse estimates that at least six additional well-drained, sand-based grass fields are needed.  Installing two infill system fields will be the equivalent to adding six new fields which would have a much greater loss of habitat on Bainbridge Island than the renovation of the two existing fields at Battle Point Park.