Question from Jonathan
Hi Debra,
I found your site to be a wonderful source of information, and was hoping you might be able to help me with a question or two.
I am considering buying a country home, in Upstate New York. It is across the street from a golf course. (Given the acreage of the property, it’s reasonably far away.) There is also a gas station a few thousand feet away. I know that both of these are concerns, but how great a concern are they? I have three young children, and the entire point of the country home is to give them a place to play outside. Is that safe?
Thanks so much.
Debra’s Answer
Distance really is the deciding factor. I wouldn’t buy a house bordering on a golf course or next door to a gas station, but a few thousand feet away should be sufficient.
I would just check the prevailing winds. If they are blowing in your direction, you’ll get fumes from these sources.
Also I would check what pesticides are used to maintain the golf course. Many golf courses have switched to less toxic maintenance. If your golf course isn’t already with the program, you might suggest they look into it. Just search the interest for “IPM golf courses” and many websites will come up. IPM is Integrated Pest Management, a program that greatly reduces pesticides if not eliminates them altogether.
Debra,
As a farmer, I want to clarify what IPM is. Chemical farmers typically spray (or treat whatever insect/disease/weed problem) on a schedule. For example, a sweetcorn grower might spray “Warrior”, an insecticide, every 4-5 days while tassels are present to destroy corn earworm. An IPM grower will actually send out a scout who looks for corn earworm before spraying. So theoretically, the IPM farmer might spray less if they don’t find evidence of corn earworm. But they also might find corn earworm and spray just as much as a conventional farmer. So while IPM MIGHT be better, it is not always better.