The President for Steinbach Fly-In Golf Club says what used to take hours to drain, can now take days to dry up.

Darren Klassen is referring to drainage at the golf course, a topic that he and other members of the Club addressed last week with Steinbach City Council. Klassen says they presented Council with a list of four requests.

The first request is to establish an active partnership on water management through the golf course to return the amount of received water to a manageable level.

The second request is for compensation for expenses already incurred and for loss of revenue. Since 2000, the Club estimates the financial displacement which the course has experienced, totals $675,790.

The third request is for an agreement to provide future funding at an agreed upon rate to fund repairs for ongoing damage and loss of business.

And the final request is for an annual recreational grant worth $50,000 to be established for course improvements.

"The golf course plays an important part in our community," notes Mayor Chris Goertzen. "We want to make sure that they are viable, that they are functioning well."

Goertzen says the grant request will be considered as part of the city's fall budgetary process. As for the other requests by the golf Club, Council has yet to make a decision.

The Steinbach Fly-In Golf Club has been around since 1954. Today it has 1500 members, ranging from 5 to 93 years of age. According to Jon Sawatzky of the Club, the course has experienced significant damage over the past few decades from increased water flow.

He notes with increased property development surrounding the golf course and across the eastern side of the city, more water flow has been directed through the course. In addressing City Council, Sawatzky stated the diversions of drainage from Elmdale Creek and the increased flow along Hespeler and Old Tom have caused increasing damage to the terrain and loss of revenue for the Club.

Sawatzky says prior to development, water remained on the undeveloped land and was allowed to naturally be absorbed, but now there are ever-increasing amounts flowing and too much for the course to handle.

"Today there is water standing where it's never stood before," says Sawatzky.

Sawatzky says they are not against water, but only if it is properly managed and controlled. He adds a significant or rapid rainfall has the potential to disrupt course operations, and in instances such as those, the Club isn't pointing fingers. But he says something needs to be done for those instances where weather would allow play in subsequent days, and for those occasions where neighbouring golf courses are open for business, while the Fly-In is closed.

Sawatzky noted to Council that the Winkler Golf Club does not pay property taxes or a lease for their land and has been granted $50,000 per year for five years for course improvements.