1 ARTIFICAL TURF REPORT AND RECOMMENDAITON
Prepared by: CSW|ST2
Introduction
In 2023, the City Council directed staff to address the need for fields and courts. Based on the needs identified in the 2010 Parks Master Plan, the Richmond Assessment of Parks Report of 2019, and interviews with stakeholders and sports leagues, a City of Richmond Field Assessment Report was prepared identifying the soccer field deficit and locating the parks where the highest benefit could be realized with the short-term funding the City has available.
In response, City Council approved the use of ARPA funds for improvements at two community parks, Martin Luther King, Jr. Park, and Shields-Reid Park, and one neighborhood park, Wendell Park. The planned improvements will build on work in progress to improve the usability of these three parks with U13 fields, used by league soccer players from youths to 13 to 18 years old up to adults. Wendell Park. Proposed improvements include renovation of the natural grass multi-purpose field. Wendell Park’s designation as a neighborhood park with homes on all sides of the park and its location within a close-knit residential neighborhood make it unsuitable for the increased levels of daytime and night- time use associated with an artificial turf field and field lighting. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park (MLK). The existing restroom will be renovated to return it to service, benefiting not only soccer players but football, baseball, softball, basketball, track users and tennis players as well. If funding is available and if the community desires, site work may be completed on the adjacent softball/baseball field to repair the infield and renovate the grass for multi-use field sports.
Shields-Reid Park. The ARPA-funded work will complete the renovation of the park and include the replacement of existing natural grass with irrigated grass or artificial turf at the existing multi-purpose field with soccer and softball striping, as well as other needed improvements.
Completion of design work for Shields-Reid Park and MLK, Jr Park will depend on City Council direction regarding the use of artificial turf. If the use of artificial turf is approved, design for the artificial turf field at Shields-Reid will proceed. If not, funds may be directed to renovate the baseball/multipurpose field at Martin Luther King, Jr Park.
2 Artificial Turf Considerations
In response to the City Council’s concerns brought up during the ARPA project presentation in March of 2024, staff has conducted research into the pros and cons of artificial turf, including information about its potential health and climate impacts. The following outlines key considerations and a summary of related findings.
Playability. The Richmond soccer community has expressed preference for the use of artificial turf at Shields-Reid Park in order to make the field available for play year-round and all day, in all weather. According to the City of Richmond 2010 Parks Master Plan, which sets level or service standards for parks and fields there is to be one soccer field per 5,000 residents. Thus, the City should have 23 fields based upon the City’s 2022 population. Due to the lack of available land for building new soccer fields and the existing and increasing field deficit, the soccer community places a high level of importance on maximizing the playability of existing fields.
Natural grass fields require significant rest and maintenance, resulting in limitations in daily and seasonal use. Playability is negatively impacted by unsafe surface conditions, closures due to maintenance or resting requirements, and closures due to wet weather.
Natural grass fields can only be used during dry weather, must rest for a few days after rain events to avoid damage to the playing surface, and must be closed to rest after heavy use and maintenance. Natural grass fields require regular mowing, frequent irrigation, annual maintenance including aeration, dethatching, top dressing, overseeding, and fertilizing, and should be closed a minimum of four weeks per year to allow for new grass growth. In Richmond, where pesticides and herbicides are not used and mowers are not cleaned between locations, natural grass fields become a combination of grass and weeds, resulting in uneven playing surfaces that reduce playability, may increase risk of injury, and increases maintenance requirements and frequency.
While natural grass fields do not have a limited life span and can last indefinitely with consistent high-quality maintenance, heavy use and maintenance challenges typically result in the need to close, regrade, upgrade or modify the irrigation system and renovate natural grass fields every 8-10 years.
Artificial turf fields are typically playable eight hours a day, seven days a week, in all seasons and in all weather. Artificial turf fields should be groomed every 40-60 hours of use to remove surface dirt/garbage and to redistribute infill and can be available for play immediately following maintenance. The playability of properly constructed artificial turf fields is not impacted by rain, with no resting period required. Most artificial turf field manufacturers provide eight-year warranties, with anecdotal evidence that they can last 10 years with proper maintenance.
3 Temperature. Natural grass fields are not significant contributors to urban heat island effects, providing, especially with regular irrigation, a cooling effect on ambient temperatures.
As with other hardscape and synthetic court surfaces, artificial turf fields retain heat and can result in significantly increased ambient temperatures due to the materials and color of both the ‘grass’ fabric and the infill materials used. Concerns about its contribution to urban heat island effects, as well as heat-related stress in players, have been raised.
While the turf industry has made changes to the ‘grass’ fiber material and color to reduce heat retention, the most effect approach to reducing heat retention is to avoid the use of crumb rubber (recycled tires) as infill material. A number of organic infill options with lower heat retention have become available, including nut shells, cork, olive pits, corn, and wood chips.
Harmful chemicals. The use of crumb rubber as an infill material has been the center of concern related to incidences of cancer in players. While crumb rubber does contain known human carcinogens, a link to exposure in individuals playing on fields with crumb rubber infill has not been verified. In April 2024, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the findings from its extensive research on recycled tire crumb rubber used on playing fields and playgrounds. The findings of this research support the conclusion that, “…although chemicals are present (as expected) in the tire crumb rubber and exposures can occur, they are likely limited. Further discussion and documentation can be reviewed here: Synthetic Turf Field Recycled Tire Crumb Rubber Characterization Research Final Report: Part 2 -Tire Crumb Exposure Characterization.
Many turf manufacturers have reduced or eliminated the use of crumb rubber infill, offering other alternatives such as the organic infill materials identified above.
Another area of concern is the potential for exposure to Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in artificial turf fabric. PFAS are a group of long-lasting chemicals common in the manufacture of a a wide range of consumer products, including non- stick cookware, stain and water-resistant clothes and carpets, firefighting foam, electronics, and medical equipment. PFAS is a ‘forever chemical’, which does not break down in the human body or in the environment. PFAS contamination is pervasive and a growing concern, especially in the drinking water industry. California recently passed strict consumer product regulations for PFAS, but AB 1423 which would have regulated PFAS in artificial turf surfaces, was vetoed by the Governor. However, the four major field turf manufacturers have identified their products as PFAS-free throughout the supply chain, and more are likely to follow.
Microplastics are produced by the breakdown of plastics into tiny particles that have been found in humans, water, and soil worldwide. Research into the health and environmental impacts of microplastics is developing. Like PFAS, microplastics 4 contamination is an on-going concern for nearly all plastic materials, including cars, clothes, packaging, electronics, and artificial turf. Some turf manufacturers are working to strengthen their turf fibers, delaying breakdown of the material.
Recycling and reusing turf can help to delay breakdown into microplastics. Currently, facilities for recycling artificial turf into new products, such as new artificial turf and trex lumber, may be unavailable or costly, but are developing. Artificial turf may also be repurposed or reused in landscaping applications, dog parks, and pond liners.
Water use. Water use on artificial turf fields is significantly lower than on natural grass fields. Natural grass requires regular irrigation to maintain playability, while artificial turf is typically washed during grooming, on an as-needed basis. For comparison, Synthetic Turf Council estimates that a full-sized 1.32 acre natural grass sports fields can use 1.5 million gallons of water per year and that a same-sized artificial turf fields can save 500,000 to 1 million gallons of water per year.
REFERENCES:
https://www.iadclaw.org/defensecounseljournal/conning-the-newsletters-crumb-rubber- turf-wars-the-synthetic-turf-fields-investigation/
https://www.csus.edu/administration-business-affairs/risk-management- services/_internal/_documents/executive-safety-committee/artificial-turf-report.pdf https://www.epa.gov/chemical-research/federal-research-recycled-tire-crumb-used- playing-fields-and-playgrounds
https://www.epa.gov/pfas/our-current-understanding-human-health-and-environmental- risks-pfas
https://www.bakerlaw.com/insights/californias-approach-to-pfas-regulation-creates- compliance-challenges/