Water Sources: Hauled Water
Overview
In some situations, hauling water may be more economical or feasible than trying to develop a permanent supply for livestock drinking water. Situations where permanent water systems are impractical can include watering a small herd, a site with an insufficient or no water source, or a site where electric power is unavailable. Hauling water may allow use of short-season or supplement forages and small or remote sites.
Advantages
- Highly mobile; water can be supplied to any location that can be accessed by the hauling vehicle.
- Can supply multiple sites.
- Ability to move watering locations, to improve pasture management, allow adjustments for additional livestock or pastures, and result in fewer livestock trails.
- Can be used where the cost of developing a permanent water source is prohibitive.
- Allows short-term grazing of temporary forage supplies, such as crop residue or cover crops.
- Can be used during drought when other water sources dry up.
Limitations
- A hauling tank and a vehicle are both needed.
- Muddy, freezing, or snowy conditions can complicate or prohibit water delivery.
- Hauling water is labor and time intensive compared to the operation of other watering sources. The operator must wait for the tank to fill and unload in addition to hauling time.
- Motor fuel, equipment, and water costs directly affect the cost of hauling water.
- Hauling may be required daily or multiple times a day.
- May need to construct access roads to reach tanks.
Design Considerations
A water-hauling tank should be clean and completely enclosed. Transport tanks, pumps, and hoses should be free from agricultural chemical contamination. Small amounts of these chemicals may cause severe side effects or death of livestock.
The tank can be incorporated into the vehicle, such as a repurposed milk truck. A tank can be placed in the back of a truck and removed when the vehicle is needed for other purposes. Tanks can be placed on trailers, or existing tank trailers such as old anhydrous tanks can be adapted for hauling water. Interior baffles improve vehicle handling. Do not exceed weight limits on bridges; select an alternate route if necessary. Drive smoothly around turns and when accelerating and decelerating to maintain a stable center of gravity.
The tank will need to be manually hooked up to and disconnected from a water supply. A float can be installed to shut off the water supply when the tank is full, preventing overflows. Shut-off valves and hoses may be used to regulate water dispensing. In some cases, water-transfer pumps may be required.
When stock tank storage is insufficient, or water will freeze quickly, multiple deliveries may be needed each day. Evaluate the cost of water, travel time and distance to and from the delivery site, and fill time when selecting a filling site.
