Open to everyone
Your Ground Report
Taking care of our shared surroundings starts at home. Explore the information around your address, understand what is known and not yet known, and bring informed questions to your neighbors, local courses and water supplier.
How home ratings are calculated
These ratings help neighbors start informed conversations about our shared surroundings. The sources and limits below let families, schools and clubs consider the same information together; ratings are not judgments of the people who care for these places.
Distance verdict: Every report opens with a separate distance check. CLEAR means the address is at least 2.5 miles from every one of our 104 mapped courses using their available boundaries; NOT CLEAR names the nearest course and its distance. The 2.5-mile threshold is a FWTT editorial choice, not a scientifically established safe radius, and it is less restrictive than the 3-mile school clearance radius. The verdict is a distance check only and is kept separate from the score below.
FWTT starts each home at 100 points, subtracts the deductions below and limits the result to 0 through 100. Distance, the CLEAR verdict and the additional-course deduction use the nearest of our 104 listed golf courses, measured between the closest mapped boundary points. Slope, wind and drainage are judged against every course within 3 miles, and each of those three deductions is charged once for the worst case found, never once per course.
| Factor | Points deducted |
|---|---|
| Distance under 0.5 miles | 40 |
| 0.5 to under 1 mile | 30 |
| 1 to under 2 miles | 20 |
| 2 through 3 miles | 10 |
| Over 3 miles | 0 |
| Home elevation lower than a checked course boundary point | 15, charged once |
| Home downwind of a checked course under the assumed wind direction | 10, charged once |
| Private well, as reported by the homeowner | 10 |
| Mapped downstream surface drainage of a checked course | 10, charged once; upstream or not determined: 0 |
| Each additional course within 3 miles beyond the nearest | 5 each, up to a maximum of 20 for additional courses |
| Nearest leaded-avgas general aviation airport under 0.5 miles | 15; 0.5 to under 1 mile: 10; 1 through 2 miles: 5; beyond 2 miles: 0 |
Score band labels: 90 to 100: Pristine Grounds; 75 to 89: High Ground; 50 to 74: Watch the Wind; 0 to 49: Downstream. These are FWTT screening labels, not certified environmental ratings.
Three-color proximity and transparency rating
The numeric 0 to 100 site score and all its deductions remain unchanged. The final rating is the worse of the proximity color and the information color. Homes use the nearest course’s reviewed information status.
| Score | Color and label |
|---|---|
| 80 to 100 | |
| 50 to 79 | |
| Below 50 |
A proximity and transparency rating, not a safety verdict.
- Information GREEN: The course publishes complete application records and monitoring results publicly. Application records identify products, active ingredients, amounts, dates and locations; monitoring must include published results, not just a plan or a selected testing panel.
- Information YELLOW: Partial information only: some records public, or records available only on request or in fragments.
- Information RED: No public information. This requires a dated, supported information review; a missing source, failed search or zero disclosure points does not by itself establish absence.
- Not yet assessed: An unassessed course is information YELLOW, labeled “Not yet assessed,” rather than an invented information status. An empty school course list also remains unassessed, not proof of complete disclosure.
GREEN means “Lower concern.” YELLOW means “In the zone of concern.” RED means “Highest concern.” Whenever information sets the rating, or information is RED, the badge includes “No information.” For partial or unassessed reviews, the separate visible information line clarifies that this phrase is not a claim that every record is absent. GREEN cannot override a YELLOW or RED proximity score, and complete information does not increase the numeric score. Missing numeric inputs leave the combined rating unavailable rather than inventing a score.
Course information comes from dated, linked source reviews in the Club Database. A location record, conservation award or financial filing is not application or monitoring evidence. Parent-submitted school disclosure reports remain separate and explicitly unverified. These colors are editorial screening and information categories, not measured exposure, independently validated risk levels or proof of contamination or harm.
Inputs and sources
- Address and distance: OpenStreetMap Nominatim geocodes the entered address. We attempt an address-matched home parcel lookup through Westchester County GIS and Connecticut municipal parcels aggregated by the state. The shortest straight-line separation between mapped property boundaries determines the nearest course and distance verdict. Failed or ambiguous home parcel lookups use the geocoded address point, disclosed per report. Both tools share one dated course-boundary dataset. County/municipal parcels are preferred; OpenStreetMap golf-course polygons are a documented fallback where obtainable, not surveyed legal property lines. Where neither is verified, a course address point remains approximate. The current Overpass attempts were unavailable. Each course lists its actual source. Parcels can include non-golf land and the assembled extent may be incomplete.
- Elevation: USGS Elevation Point Query Service queries the closest home parcel-edge point (or address point fallback) and the closest boundary point of every course checked within 3 miles. A home lower than any checked course loses 15 points once, whatever the number of courses involved; ground equal to or higher than every checked course subtracts zero. Missing elevation at the nearest course prevents a complete score. Elevation alone cannot establish surface drainage or groundwater connectivity.
- Wind: Bearing is measured from the closest course boundary point to the closest home boundary point or address-point fallback. The fixed west-northwest assumption, not a site-specific study or live weather, treats 67.5° through 157.5° as downwind (-10), 247.5° through 337.5° as upwind (0), and other bearings as crosswind (0). Coincident points at the nearest course have no direction and no complete score. Bearings are measured for every checked course, and a home downwind of any of them loses 10 points once. NOAA/NCEI station observations are the wind-data source, not verification of FWTT’s fixed direction; historical Bridgeport winds vary and do not substantiate constant west-northwest winds.
- Surface water: USGS NHDPlusV2 hydrography and NLDI directed flowlines determine catchment ordering after polygon membership is independently validated at both measurement points. Home downstream of any checked course subtracts 10, charged once; upstream or “Not determined” against every checked course subtracts zero. Shared catchments, missing data, request limits and ambiguous connections within a 100-kilometre search remain unresolved. No drainage is guessed from elevation, and catchment connectivity does not prove runoff passes through the property or a groundwater connection.
- Nearby courses and races: Every mapped course within 3 miles is listed nearest first with its edge-distance estimate and a count. The CLEAR / NOT CLEAR verdict uses only the nearest course. For the score, each additional course within 3 miles beyond the nearest one deducts 5 points, up to a maximum deduction of 20 points for additional courses. Slope, wind and drainage are evaluated for every course in that list, and each of the three deductions is charged once for the worst case found; the report names the course that established each one. Active races cover the home town and every listed course town using the shared sourced town registry and supplied candidate dataset. All supplied candidates are listed neutrally for Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Districts may split towns: this is a town-level approximation, not your ballot; confirm with your county board of elections or Connecticut town registrar. Out-of-state course-town officials do not establish voting eligibility.
- General aviation airports: We keep a dated registry of general aviation airports in the project footprint that sell leaded avgas (100LL) and host piston-engine traffic, including Westchester County (HPN), Danbury Municipal (DXR), Sikorsky Memorial (BDR) and Waterbury-Oxford (OXC). Only the nearest such airport deducts points, once: under 0.5 miles deducts 15, 0.5 to under 1 mile deducts 10, 1 through 2 miles deducts 5, and beyond 2 miles deducts zero. Airport distances use airport reference points because airport property boundaries are not yet in our boundary dataset; they are approximate and disclosed. The deduction reflects proximity to piston-engine traffic burning leaded fuel (100LL), based on the 2021 Reid-Hillview Airport study in Santa Clara County, published peer-reviewed as Zahran, Keyes and Lanphear, PNAS Nexus, January 2023, which found elevated blood lead in children within about half a mile of a general aviation airport, with effects studied out to roughly a mile. Proximity is a reason to test and ask, not proof of contamination or harm.
- Water: You select private well, municipal supply or I do not know, and may report a well depth. We do not obtain well tests, utility test results or evidence of contamination for this calculation. Municipal supply and unknown sources lose no points, but that does not establish pesticide-free water; an unknown source is an open question, not an assurance.
The weights and rating cutoffs are FWTT editorial screening rules, not a formula derived from a scientific study. No pesticide concentrations, application quantities, air samples or health outcomes are measured. Straight-line edge distance is not a surveyed measurement. Parcel and geocoding data change over time. “Not determined” is an open question, not an assurance. This is a screening estimate, not a professional environmental assessment; no rating proves safety or contamination.
Information for your home
Test Your Water
No home test strip detects golf-course pesticides. For pesticide questions, use a laboratory certified for the specific compounds and methods you need.
What to test for
Start by asking the nearest club for its complete pesticide application inventory. These compounds are a starting list, not proof they were used near you and not a complete golf-course panel.
- Chlorothalonil
- 2,4-D
- Chlorpyrifos
- Atrazine
- Carbaryl
- Propiconazole
- Tebuconazole
Give the lab the chemical names, not just the words “pesticide screen.” Ask for the exact analyte list, sample instructions, method, reporting limits and state certification scope before ordering.
EPA methods are not interchangeable
- EPA 525.2: includes atrazine, carbaryl and chlorpyrifos in its specified analyte list.
- EPA 508: includes chlorothalonil and atrazine.
- EPA 515: chlorinated herbicides including 2,4-D.
- For propiconazole and tebuconazole, request an explicitly named, validated test. Do not assume those method numbers include them.
A lab’s approved scope may be narrower than a method’s published list. Confirm the actual analytes and drinking-water sample type with the laboratory.
Where to order
Mail-in collection kits still require laboratory analysis. Confirm current pricing, shipping, sample handling and certification for your state; a company’s general accreditation is not approval for every pesticide.
ETR Laboratories
Herbicides test: $200. The published panel names 2,4-D, 2,4,5-TP and 2,4,5-T. It is not a broad golf-pesticide screen.
Basic well test: $179. A general well-water baseline, not a substitute for specific pesticide tests.
Water Diagnostics
The provider’s current order form lists atrazine at $250 and glyphosate at $300. It lists a well-water quality package at $400, which is not established here as a broad pesticide/herbicide panel.
The proposed $350 pesticide/herbicide screen and $150 atrazine price could not be confirmed. Ask for a current quote and the full panel.
View laboratory order formROSE home collection kit
Reported launch price: $399. A mail-in laboratory kit, not a home pesticide strip. The current price, named pesticide panel and New York certification scope remain unconfirmed.
Read the launch coverageSearch by analyte and method. Confirm approval for drinking water and the compounds on your list, not just the laboratory’s name.
Well owners and municipal customers
Private well
You are responsible for checking your well. Ask your county health department about local testing guidance, use the lab’s bottles and collection instructions, and include pesticides by name. A basic bacteria, nitrate or metals panel does not automatically include them.
Municipal supply
Start with the annual Consumer Confidence Report and ask the supplier what was tested and when. Municipal reports can include regulated pesticide detections, but they are not comprehensive tests for every pesticide or for the water at your tap.
EPA consumer water-report guidanceA few hundred dollars per sample
A targeted panel commonly means a few hundred dollars per sample. Multiple methods, extra compounds, shipping and repeat samples can cost more. Get a written quote for the exact list.
Understanding the scope of a laboratory test
“Not detected” means below the reporting limit for the substances actually tested. It is not a complete application inventory, proof of no past exposure or proof that the water is pesticide-free.
The good news
There are practical steps we can take together: share complete records, use appropriate testing, and choose filtration informed by the results.
Build shared understanding
Complete application records help club members, neighbors and towns discuss ways to reduce chemical inputs and care for shared land. Monitoring results and advance notification make that conversation more useful for all of us.
- Ask your nearest club, in writing, for its complete pesticide application inventory: product names, active ingredients, amounts, dates and locations.
- Ask your town what it requires of clubs and whether application records are public. File a public-records request if they are.
- Contact your state legislators about pesticide disclosure and notification laws. Our Take Action page has scripts and a legislator directory.
- Test your water so questions are backed by data, and share results with your town and neighbors.
Filter your water
Test first, then match the filter to what was found. No single filter removes everything.
- Activated carbon (granular or solid block) is the standard choice for many pesticides, including atrazine, 2,4-D and chlorpyrifos. Look for NSF/ANSI 53 certification naming the contaminant.
- Reverse osmosis under-sink systems remove a broader range of dissolved contaminants and are often paired with carbon.
- Point-of-use vs whole-house: a certified under-sink or pitcher filter protects drinking and cooking water; whole-house systems cost more and protect showers and taps too.
- Maintain it: an exhausted carbon filter stops working. Replace cartridges on the manufacturer’s schedule and retest your water after installing.
- Check the NSF certified product listings to confirm a specific model is certified for the compounds you found.
Protect your indoor air
- During and just after a nearby application, keep windows closed and bring children and pets inside. Drift risk is highest while spraying and while surfaces are still wet.
- A HEPA filter captures particles but not chemical vapors. For vapors, use an air purifier with a substantial activated-carbon bed, and upgrade HVAC filters.
- Remove shoes at the door and wash hands and paws after time on treated grass; tracked-in residues are a real exposure route.
Filtration reduces exposure; it does not prove water or air is safe, and it is not a substitute for stopping contamination at the source. This is general information, not professional advice.