Water and Intensive Livestock Operations

Regulations | Quality| Canadian Water Quality Guidelines for Pigs | Quantity | Water requirements of a typical hog barn | How to reduce water use

September 2006

Like all living things, water is the most important nutrient required in the diet of a pig and makes up between 50-80% of the animal’s body weight.  Water is used to produce new tissue in growth and pregnancy, produce milk, and compensate for losses through respiration, evaporation and elimination of waste.

Today, more efficient hog barns use fewer resources and therefore produce less manure to create the same volume of product.  As animal, equipment, and nutritional efficiencies continue to improve through research and development, a further reduction in water requirements will occur.  Modern facilities also enable producers to protect water supplies by controlling the manure produced through properly designed storage and application procedures.

The amount and quality of water available to new and expanding hog operations is a very important step in the planning stage of an intensive livestock operation. Therefore, water is a major influence when considering site selection, and should be considered early in the planning stages.  The location of surface or ground water can also affect site selection when considering manure storage and barn location.

Regulations:

Any intensive livestock operation requiring the consumption of 5,000 m³ (1.1 million imperial gallons) of water, roughly equivalent to what 300 animal units would use annually, requires approval of the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority (SWA).

For surface water usage, such as lakes or rivers, an Approval to Construct permit is required before a Water Right and Approval to Operate licence is issued.  An Approval to Construct permit is not required for dugouts constructed for the purpose of domestic and livestock needs

For ground water, the approval process requires obtaining a Ground Water Investigation Permit and an Approval to Construct and Operate Works and Water Rights Licence, in order to use ground water.

Do not begin the construction of a water project before receiving approval.

These licences do not guarantee the quality or quantity of the water will remain constant; they only grant access should water be available.  For more detailed information on the procedure for water approval or for forms, please contact the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority at 1-306-694-3900.

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Quality:

The quality of ground water in Saskatchewan is variable and site specific.  Pigs perform best on good quality water, but are quite tolerant and can adapt and perform well to various water sources.  Testing the proposed source during the initial planning stages and routinely afterwards is the only sure way to monitor water quality changes.  Animals of various age and health status will react differently to the same water.  Generally, younger animals are more susceptible to lower quality water. 

The most common issues related to ground water quality in Saskatchewan are high iron and sulphates. 

Water that is high in iron (over 0.3 ppm) will cause problems by plugging screens, lines, and equipment resulting in expensive ongoing maintenance.  Filters or settling tanks can be used to remove iron. 

Water that is high in sulfates will cause diarrhea in weanlings with little effect on production until reaching excessive levels (over 2000 ppm). 

Reverse osmosis, distillation and ion exchange are the most common methods of removing sulphate. Distillation and reverse osmosis work best for treating smaller quantities of water, while ion exchange is very effective at treating large quantities of water.  All of these methods come with a high capital and operational expense.  For information on current research and technology from the PFRA regarding water quality, call 1-306-780-5019.

Surface water is at a higher risk of microbial contamination such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and parasites. Location is critical when planning to use surface water in order to avoid contamination from manure, pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizer.  Testing water regularly is necessary to prevent health problems (see table).  Chlorination of the water is the most common method of removing harmful bacteria and other micro-organisms. 

Water pipelines are becoming more widespread in Saskatchewan.  If you are interested in information on availability, or to apply for access to raw or treated water, application can be made through SaskWater at 1-888-230-1111.

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Canadian Water Quality Guidelines for Pigs

Quantity:

Since manure from hog barns is made up of close to 90% water, the expected water usage of a facility is the number one consideration when determining the size of the manure storage to be constructed.  The cost of constructing earthen manure storage is estimated at between $1.00 - 1.50/m³, and an additional $5.00/m³ if a clay liner is required.

The quantity of water used will also carry with it a significant ongoing operational expense.  Bringing water into the barn, as well as hauling it onto the land as manure, costs money.  Custom application costs approximately $0.01/gallon or $55-$65/sow annually in a farrow-finish operation.  Some operations are able to recover part of this cost through selling the manure to local area farmers, usually on a per acre basis applied.  Right now, pork producers are able to recover up to $5-15/acre depending on the local demand for fertilizer.

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Water requirements of a typical hog barn (including washing)

These values are averages, and there will be up to 25% variation in demand depending on time of day, season, and individual operation.

Another consideration is to size the water handling system (pressure tanks, pumps, cistern, etc.) based on the water recovery rate and the expected peak use.  The following table lists the guidelines for recommended flow rates of drinkers for each phase of production, and can be used to help determine what the peak water demand will be for a particular facility.

Water needs to be recognized as a limited natural resource, and therefore its use should be monitored in order to better understand where the most savings can be made.  Research has shown that, with proper equipment and management, one can reduce the amount of water consumed by up to 25-30%.

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How to reduce water use: 

• Use bowls or troughs for watering gestating sows

• Wet/Dry Feeders, bowls, or ball bite drinkers in place of drinker nipples

• Keep barn temperature as close as possible to pig’s comfort zone (see table below)

 (*Range is dependent on animal size, type of housing, and stocking density)

• Repair leaking water lines or equipment as soon as possible

• Adjust the height of drinker nipples as animals grow (a general rule is to position the nipple 1-2 inches above the top of the smallest animal’s shoulder)

• Monitor water usage in order to track effects of changes in barn management, design or equipment

• Do not feed excess protein or minerals

Excess water spillage not only adds to the volume of manure, but can also increase humidity, allow bacteria growth, encourage fly problems, and can even lead to slippery floors that are a potential cause of injury.

As you can see it is very important to choose a site that has enough good quality water, rather than to pay for the lack of planning for the life of the operation with ongoing water problems.

Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food has Environmental Engineers and Livestock Development Specialists who are available to assist with the process of developing a hog operation, including site selection and the approval process.

Links:

PFRA – www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/

Saskatchewan Watershed Authority -  www.swa.ca

SaskWater - www.saskwater.com

For more information:

Agriculture Knowledge Centre
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Toll-Free:  1-866-457-2377