Hydrologic Aspects of Water Harvesting

As is most Midwestern states, livestock consumption, human consumption, irrigation, recreation, and wildlife are all in competition for the available water supplies in South Dakota. It is the purpose of this study to develop design criteria for a more efficient system of collection water to assist in satisfying the vast demands of livestock consumption. A moisture shortage can be the downfall of any livestock producer. There are roughly 728 million acres of rangeland in the continental United States with 26.7 million acres in South Dakota (18). Most of this area is available for domestic livestock grazing, but a large portion does not have an adequate water supply. In water development planning, proper distribution of stockwater in relation to the available forage must be considered in a livestock enterprise because a good supply of palatable forage many not be efficient utilized if the concentration of the water supply is in another area. This results in very little runoff which could provide stockwater in a dam, dugout, or stream. (see more in full text