The Best Time to Maintain Your Water Systems
Water is the one input a dairy cannot go without for a single day. Maintenance works best on a calendar, with the big checks ahead of summer heat and winter freezes.
When should water systems be checked?
Think in seasons. Spring is the time for a full inspection of wells, pumps, pipelines, tanks and floats, before summer demand peaks. Late summer is the time to check for leaks and low flow while you can still see the problem. Fall is the time to prepare for freezing weather, and winter calls for quick daily checks of troughs and exposed lines.
Cows in milk drink a great deal, and a failed pump in July on the Texas Panhandle can turn into a herd health problem fast. A schedule you set in calm weather beats a repair done in a crisis.
Many producers tie these checks to dates they already remember, like the first hot week or the first frost, so the task does not get lost.
What belongs on the checklist?
Include the source (well or surface water), pumps and pressure tanks, power supply, pipelines and fittings, float valves, storage tanks and troughs. Check that backup power or a backup source works, and test it rather than assuming.
Write down flow rates and pressures when everything is normal. Later, a drop in those numbers is often your first warning that a pump is wearing or a line is leaking.
- Pumps, pressure tanks and electrical connections
- Pipelines, fittings and shutoff valves
- Floats, troughs and tank cleaning
- Backup power and a tested plan B
- Records of flow and pressure
How do you keep water clean?
Troughs and tanks collect algae, feed and manure, especially in summer. Scrub them on a schedule and keep them out of direct manure runoff. Test well water on a regular basis through a certified lab, and ask what to test for given your area.
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension program offers water testing guidance for Texas producers, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality sets rules that may touch wells, discharge and waste handling. Ask them which rules apply before you plan changes.
What about drought, planning and water rights?
Dry years put stress on both supply and cost. Keep an eye on the U.S. Drought Monitor and Drought.gov for conditions, and talk with your groundwater district about local rules. The Texas Water Development Board publishes planning material and funding information for water projects, though terms and availability change, so check current details.
Water rights and groundwater rules are a legal matter that differs by area. Get help from a licensed attorney or the local district for your specific situation.
How do you plan around heat and cold?
Before summer, add shade, check that troughs refill fast enough and consider more storage. Before winter, insulate exposed lines, drain what you can and check heaters on troughs. Plan for power outages, since many systems depend on electricity.
The dairy herd care guide covers hydration and herd health basics, and the rural farm living guide has ideas for keeping home and farm systems running through weather.
Where can you find help, and a little relief?
Your well driller, pump dealer and local groundwater district know your conditions best. For funding and conservation ideas, ask USDA NRCS about programs and their current terms. Always confirm before you budget.
For something lighter, farm.FM dairy stories and a farm.FM piece on water troubles on the dairy remind you that you are not the first to find a trough empty at six in the morning.
What happens when something fails anyway?
Even a good plan hits a bad day. Keep the phone numbers for your well driller, electrician and pump dealer where everyone can find them, and know where the main shutoff valves are. Keep a few spare parts that commonly fail, such as floats and fittings, so a small break does not become a long outage.
Think about hauling water as a short-term fallback and know what it would take, including tanks, a source and the time involved. A written plan that every employee has read is worth far more than one that lives in your head. Browse farm.FM news and satire for a lighter break after the repair is done.
Sources and further reading
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Texas extension service
- TCEQ: Texas environmental regulator
- Texas Water Development Board: water planning and funding
- U.S. Drought Monitor: weekly drought maps
- Drought.gov: national drought information
- USDA NRCS: conservation programs and technical help
Ask locally: Ask your local groundwater district and AgriLife Extension agent which tests and rules apply to your water source.