Thinking About Constructing a Dugout?

Good planning can help you get the best supply of water.

Dugouts continue to be important sources of water for many farms across the prairies. Properly designed and maintained, they can provide an assured supply of good quality water.

If you are planning on building a dugout, contact your local PFRA office before you begin construction. PFRA technical staff can provide you with advise to ensure your project meets your farm needs - both now and in the future. As well, you must receive approval for your project prior to any construction in order to be eligible for financial assistance through PFRA's Rural Water Development Program.

The following points provide helpful information to keep in mind when planning a dugout.

Quality Comes First

To maintain the quality of water in your dugout, follows these steps:

• Fence the dugout and provide off-site watering for livestock.
• The watershed area and/or drainage course should be grassed rather than cultivated to reduce silting and algae development in the dugout.
• Keep trees at least 50 metres away to prevent leaves from falling into the dugout. Decomposing leaves affect the water's taste and smell. They also feed algae and contribute to weed growth.
• Locate the dugout away from sloughs and marshes as they are potential sites for poor quality water.

Determining the Size

Each farm has its own requirements. Therefore, no single size can be recommended. However, the following guidelines apply to all situations:

• Ideally, the dugout should store enough water to withstand severe drought.
• Allowances must be made for water loss from seepage, summer evaporation, and winter ice buildup.

The lowest evaporation losses are from deep dugouts with small surface areas and long narrow dugouts constructed at right angles to prevailing winds.

Selecting the Site

The location of the dugout affects the quality and quantity of water. To determine the best site, consider the following:

• The drainage area should be large enough to fill an empty dugout in a year with an average amount of precipitation.
• A dugout located in an natural depression provides protection against evaporation.
• Soil conditions should be investigated one metre deeper than the proposed dugout.
• Excavate only in impervious (non-porous) material. Clay or clay mixture soils are the most suitable because they retain water.
• The drainage area required to fill a dugout varies in size depending on the geography of the land.
• Runoff from small drainage areas can be increased by using snow fences and shelterbelts to trap snow.

Note: In an area with a high water table, a small excavation or a well can also provide a secure supply of water.

Constructing the Dugout

Proper construction results in the most effective dugout. Keep the following in mind during construction:

• Follow recommended slope requirements of 4:1 end slopes and 1 1/2:1 side slopes.
• In lighter soils, use flatter side slopes of 2:1.
• Level spoil banks from excavation and seed to grass in the immediate area of the dugout. A preferred treatment is to strip the topsoil and replace it over the subsoil after construction.
• Leave spoil banks five metres back from the dugout edge if they cannot be leveled at the time of construction.
• Install provisions for floating water intakes at the time of construction. Gravel filters should not be used since they can cause water quality problems.

Talk to Us First

Remember, you must receive approval for your project prior to any construction in order to be eligible for financial assistance. For more information, contact your local PFRA office.