Securing Livestock Water During Drought

If drought conditions persist through the spring of 2002, it will mark the third year in a row with little or no spring runoff over large areas of the Canadian Prairies. This will place a strain on the water resources available to producers and may leave livestock with poor quality water, resulting in lower weight gains, sickness, and leading to herd reduction or movement.

A secure, high quality water source will go a long way to help you and your livestock through a drought cycle. One of the best options is a deep aquifer. In general, a deep aquifer is more stable and less susceptible to drought conditions than a shallow aquifer. Consult a professional to determine the feasibility of developing a well in a sustainable aquifer in your area.

To develop the best well possible in your aquifer:

• use PVC or Fibreglass casing - it doesn't rust
• ensure surface casing is deep enough to protect the pump
• develop the well based on the aquifer; hard rock, softer sandstone, or sand and gravel aquifer - each one is different, consult your well professional
• don't over-pump your well, you could damage the aquifer.

If your well is in a shallow aquifer of limited size and capacity, there are some things you can do to conserve and enhance your water supply. To enhance well recharge:

• refrain from draining all the sloughs and wetlands over the aquifer, as these tend to be recharge areas for shallow aquifers
• increase the snow trapping by using snow fencing and field shelterbelts
• use agronomic practices over the aquifer that enhance the water supply, including leaving your stubble standing in the fall to trap snow, and practising zero till to help soil absorb moisture and transport it down old root channels.

Dugout recharge depends almost entirely on snowmelt. If you have 30 acres of standing stubble 200 mm(8 inches) long and it is full of snow, the melt water could fill a dugout 50 metres X 20 metres X 4 metres deep. This assumes 25% of it soaks in or evaporates before it gets to the dugout.

Evaporation has a major impact on water quantity. In southwest Saskatchewan, a typical dugout that is 50 metres long by 20 metres wide by 4 metres deep, will lose over 0.6 metres to evaporation over the summer. This lost water is enough to supply 72 feeder steers for 120 days. To reduce evaporation, construct a wind break on the spoil banks, plant shelterbelts (deciduous trees must be a minimum of 30 metres from the dugout to minimize nutrient loading when the leaves drop in the fall), or install a dugout cover. A wind break constructed on the spoil banks can also be designed to increase the snow trapped within the dugout during the winter, effectively enhancing spring runoff.

If you have a secure water source and can use a surface or shallow buried pipeline to supply your various pastures, you will eliminate evaporation and provide a secure, high quality water supply to your livestock. Surface pipelines have been in operation on several PFRA Community Pastures for more than 20 years. Some of the longer runs are up to five miles and supply herds of over 600 cow/calf pairs.

The best way to reduce livestock impact on surface sources is to fence them out and pump your water supply. Numerous studies over the past 10 years show increased weaning weights on calves where fresh water is pumped to the livestock versus direct access to dugout water. This will pay for the pumping system in as little as six months in some cases.

Many remote powered pumping systems have been proven over the years, including solar, windmill, nose pumps, gas powered pumps, gas powered generators powering a 110/220 v electric pump, or windmill generated 12/24 v DC or 660v AC powering an electric pump. For design and cost estimates, contact your supplier or local PFRA district office.

Summary

Your options during the current drought cycle are to:

• develop a secure source and pump to the livestock via a pipeline
• enhance your surface or groundwater source with snow trapping using windbreaks, snow fence, shelterbelts, standing stubble and other crop residue, etc.
• pump from temporary sources or consolidate dugouts into one
• reduce evaporation losses with windbreaks or dugout cover
• haul water, although inconvenience and cost must be considered.