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<br />OJJ37S <br /> <br />of grazing, stockmen construct farm ponds or rely on lakes and streams <br />to furnish part of the livestock water needs. <br /> <br />Most of the farm ponds and all of the dugouts serving as water <br />supply facilities for livestock have less than five acre-feet total <br />storage capacity and have a short effective life. Replacement is a <br />continual problem. Another problem is the loss of water by evaporation. <br />The evaporation losses are estimated to be about twice the amount <br />consumed by livestock from this source.lI information on farm ponds <br />and dugouts is shown in Table 15. <br /> <br />Localized areas that have inadequate supplies of ground water, <br />either because of quantity or quality or both, depend upon surface <br />supplies stored in farm ponds or dugouts. These supplies may be <br />depleted during periods of prolonged droughts. When the supplies <br />fai I, water must be hauled or the livestock moved. In either case a <br />loss of production and considerable Inconvenience is experienced. <br /> <br />Areas with inadequate supplies of ground water that must use <br />surface supplies for at least part of the livestock requirements <br />are: <br /> <br />(1) White River-Hat Creek Basin--Northern parts of Dawes, Sioux, <br />and Sheridan Counties, <br /> <br />(2) Niobrara River Basln--Parts of Boyd and Knox Counties, <br /> <br />(3) Republican River Basin--Scattered areas along the Kansas <br />border, mostly south of the RepUblican River, <br /> <br />(4) Nemaha River Basin--Locallzed areas scattered throughout the <br />Basin, and <br /> <br />(5) Localized areas In other river basins where bedrock lies <br />near the surface. <br /> <br />The biggest Improvement In livestock water supplies can be made <br />In the White River-Hat Creek Basin, now the most deficient. The Instal- <br />lation of community water systems using ground water can reduce the <br />dependence on surface supplies for livestock from the present 60 percent <br />to 25 percent by 2000, and increase the amount of grazing land adequately <br />supplied with water from 50 percent under present conditions to 90 percent <br />under conditions expected to prevail by 2000. <br /> <br />The installation of community water systems and the proper spacing <br />of watering faci Iltles on grazing land Is expected to Improve the <br />adequacy of livestock water in the State from the present 68 percent to <br />88 percent by the year 2000. This remaining deficiency is not considered <br />serious since It comprises fringe and odd areas in corners of pastures, <br />areas of difficult accessibility, or areas of such low production that <br />It is not economically feasible to develop additional water supplies. <br /> <br />1I Missouri River Basin Comprehensive Framework Study. <br /> <br />32 <br />