This technical note describes an effective system for collecting water from open streams and conveying it several miles via pipeline systems to watering troughs in arid locations.  Perhaps one of the greatest challenges in managing lands that produce forage for grazing animals is to strike a desirable balance between forage and water.  However, on native grazing lands, this is rarely the case due to terrain and uneven distribution of water.  The  open stream collection and diversion system  addresses this issue with a specific engineering solution

United States Bureau of Land Management

English

DigitalCommons@USU

Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository) U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository) 1994 Open Stream Collection and Diversion: An Added Dimension in Providing Water for Grazing Animals United States Bureau of Land Management Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/govdocs  Part of the Environmental Sciences Commons Recommended Citation United States Bureau of Land Management, "Open Stream Collection and Diversion: An Added Dimension in Providing Water for Grazing Animals" (1994). All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository). Paper 237. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/govdocs/237 This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository) at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository) by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@usu.edu. COMPLETED Open Stream Collection and Diversion: An Added Dimension In Providing Water For Grazing Animals Technical Note 392 ' - . , . . ... . ~- .,} L' .S. Dl' pa rllllC' llt or the Inll'f"ior Bureau of Land Managc lIK' nl Open Stream Collection and Diversion: An Added Dimension In Providing Water For Grazing Animals by S. LJu lll.!liI ~ W()()d . Chi~f tIl' SUppl.lrI S~ rv h..:cs ~ Ri l.:l1lit:' lJ lJ i s l ri~t. Uwh U.S. D~panlllc ni of Ih~ Intcrior Burl..'au of Land M~lIl ag(' I1l C'1ll Il LM/Sc/ST-<).'IIlO I +9 171l Open Stream Collection and Diversion Perhaps one of the greatest challenges in manag-ing lands that produce forage for grazing animals is to strike a desirable balance between forage and water. The optimum situation would be one in which avail-able drinking water was within a reasonable distance of all the available forage that could be properly uti-li zed. However. on native grazing lands. this is rarely the case because of terrain characteristics and uneven water di stribution. The abundance and frequency of water are impor-tant when considering the optimum carrying capacity and proper management of the range. According to Stoddart. Smith. and Box. "Since livestock are as de-pendent upon water as upon food , lack of water may prevent proper utilization of forage. Cattle. and espe-cially sheep. occasionally travel long distances to wa-ter and go for long periods without, particularly when snow is present. However. poor water distribution is probably the chief cause of poor distribution of live-stock on the range." I ]n regard to wildlife. "The amount. availability. quality. and presence throughout the year of water can be improved for purposes of increasing wildlife num-bers or expanding the use of habitat."2 During the past several decades. significant efforts have been made hy land managers to attain an increased water/forage bal-ance for grazing animalf-. Natural springs h.we been developed. wells have been drilled and equipped with pumps. and. with the advent of plastic pipe. literally thousands of miles of pipeline have been installed to provide better water di stribution for grazing allotments and habitat areas. Other means of providing water have included the construction of varic~ls types and sizes of earthen impoundment. . i.e .. reservoi rs. and the instal-lation of precipitation collectors. commonly referred to as "guzzlers" or water catchments. in recent years. ]n some areas. hauling water has proven effective where the hauling di stance is practical and motor vehicle ac-cess routes are present. All of these methods are commonly recognized by land manager. across the country as being effective means of providing water sources for grazing animals. Other methods of an innovati ve nature may occasion-:lily surface. and when they do. it is important to share the knowledge with others so as many as possible might benefit. One such method is referred to in this docu-ment as the "Open Stream Collection and Diversion System." During the past 10 years. the Richfield District has developed an efftctive system for collecting water from open streams and conveying it several miles via pipe-line sys~ems to watering troughs at various locations. This has provided an additional means of making for-age avai lable that had been unusable because of a lack of water. This system thus provides yet another method to improve the di stribution and expand the habitat of grazing animals. The development of this system has evolved over the years from a simple system where the stream is generally clear and stable. with little or no threat of sedimentation. to a more sophisticated system where flooding occurs on a regular basis and sedimentation is severe. As expected, small. stable channels where the water is clear year-round require little maintenance; the primary problem here is the deposition or trapping of organic matter. Systems in larger, unstable channels. on the other hand. require more time and effort to main-tain. depending on the frequency of storms that pro-duce overland flow and increased sedimentation. Design Concept --The design of the system is basically a two-phase filtering system . ]n phase one, the installation of a con-crete or g:!~ion structure across the stream channel re-duces water velocity. allowing it to be collected from the stream into a small tank where it is filtered and di -verted from the stream channel. Provision is made for excess water. sediments. and small debri s to ex it through an overflowlnush pipe. After the water is diverted from the stream channel. it enters phase two. which consists of a larger tank with a settling pool that allows any fine residual sediment to settle before the water is refiltered and conveyed into the main pipeline di stribution sys-tem. This phase two tank also contains an overflow/ flush provision. See the attached drawings for details . This system is serviced as needed by flu shing sed i-ment from the two tanks and cleaning or changing the filter material. Experience has shown that when flood-waters laden with a heavy load of sediment hit the ini -tial collection tank. the filter material will promptly seal off: any water that continues to enter the tank will exi t via the overflow. Should any sediment escape into the inlet pipe, it will be trapped in the secondary tank. thereby protecting the distribution system. Subsurface developmenl (oplianal) . 3" dia . Ihreaded coupler ,-I-I I I I I I I I , , I 1_, X 3' w ide wing wallgobians, elevalian 10 be 3' above elevalian of cresl gabions. Musl be capable of conveying 25 yr . 1050 yr . slorm. x X X X X X X X X X X X X X Cresl gabions X X X X X X Supparl gabions X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X ------------- --, Overflow/flush -~--x-"'X -,, - 4 " dia . PVC pipe. X X ~ X X Diversion pipe , , Overflow/Rush , , X '-I , , , , I , , , I X X X ~, 'X X I I , , I I , , I I X X X x, 'X I I I I I I X X X X I 0 -PLAN VIEW Phose" lank Distribution line UNIl EO STATE S OEPAJ1MlNT Of THE IN1EROR BUREAU Of \.4ND w.NACEMfNT 'O'f(U)0I5""ftCl lIT .... OPEN STREAM COLLECTION AND DIVERSION to"""'D ~ 0 wQS(O '(''''"''10 "'"CotD DUWN C.V I IO~ N() IOU Dq " IJGI~T ' I)q .. !.P--t( 1 , , CU. ..... 1NCNO A" dia . 30" d ia. CMP with hinged lid. 1 1<1 " step.1 plate F;lter matenal, 1 AO N M irifi or equal . open on bottom and ti"d at top 12 " dia PVC wlfh r wide openIngs at 9 .A" on center around the circumference . Wrap w/ filter material . Secure with stainless steel bonds. 3 each. x x X Crest gabion wall 3' x 3' x 27' Support gabians 1.5 ' x 3' x 6 ' X X X XXX XXXXX Ladder rungs. 2A" wide at 16" a.c. Inlet from Phose I tonk. ~~iHm~li<~~~_",,:::,,_::,X:..L,,:,x~-,-::,x~,,:,x~~x~-,:,,:x,---,,:,X2--':":X~":'X:.:..-.JL-A::."-=dl:.:::i· a . solid PVc. Outlet to Phose II tunk 6 mil PE liner Natural channel bottom 90· elbow, unglued on vertical leg A" dia . perf. PVC pipe PHASE I TANK 2A" I r Y I" [D DI 12" ' 10" nn _---1~!~~= U U I PHASE I FILTER OPENING 36" t y 13>" t PHASE II FILTER OPENING 3 48" I 1 A4" I I 42 " dia. x 8' ·3" CMP with hinged /1/4'''~IPIO.' ;d This end left open so waler level can be readily observed 15" dia . PVC wilh 9 1/2" wide openings at 11 3/4" on center around the circumference. Wrap w/filter material. Secure with stainless steel bonds, 3 each . ,-J.,-,,j-I,._--'LW,-,-,,o'!!te=.!.r distribution line I 39" '1 ie end of filter material r 6" \ "---- 6 ' d io;net~r concrete bose \ 90· elbow, unglued on vertica! leg L 4" dia. averAow/Aush PHASE II TANK UNIIED S'ATES DEPARTMENT Of THE NTERIOR 8UREAU Of lAND MANAG£MENT hO<flflO 0l5 :1:1CT InAM OPEN STREAM COLLECTION AND DIVERSION OfSGNfO ~D ~ '( "'('MD ""'CMt> OUWI'I 0- I !CAl' "" !CAl' CArE -uG~' 109, ... '" , Of , ~.~NO Following a fl ood. the system can easily be re· activ'ltcd by simply removing the overflow insert pipe and flu shing the sediment out. and then rinsi ng or changing the filter material. The same procedure may be necessary in the secondary tank to gel rid of the finer silt that may have accumulated after escaping the ini· tial filtering process. As an ext ra precaution. it is wise to install flush drains along the distribution pipeline. in addition to the two· phase fillering process. This is especially iJ1lJXlf· tant where the pipeline traverses swales and smull val· leys where the veloci ty of water flowing through the pipe is not adequate to provide a sclf· flushing effec t. Even in the worst case . however. there will probably be only minor amounts of fine silt that accumulate in these areas. In additio n to the surface collect ion system de· scribed above. a subsurfacc systcm can also be installed to convey a smaller amount of water into the system simultancously. Experiencc has shown that the amount collected by the subsurface system willuslially not ex· cced 2 gallons per minute (gpm). However. it will pro· ville stability to the systcm . especially if waters !olllen wi th s ilt tend to close uown the Phllsc I filter. This is accomplishcd hy connecting the subsurface systcm di· recll y 10 Ihe phase II lank. Note that a development o f thi3 type is subject to v;:l rious appropriate laws and regulations. First. it is suhject to St.lle laws governing WOl ter rights. Second. it mus t be consistent with all Inws and polic ies that di-rect the management and protection of riparian/wet· land areas. The ac tual design of the gabion or concrete wall will vary according to tht:: so il conditions. channel gc· ol11ctry. and hydraulil: condilions and should be done by either a qualified engi neer or a technician with in· deplh experience. The efficiency o flhe filtering media will depend on sediment size and load and may im-prove with proper selection by the designer. However. if there is any question. designing for the finer sedi· ments is recommended. - Cost of DevelopIllent-Costs wi ll vary with each individual situation. de· pending on sitc conditions, i.e .. wid th of streambed. access problems. etc. For example. a wide streambed wi th a downstremn gratlient of 5 percent slope wi ll re· quire more time. effort, and materials than a narrow streambed with a gradient of only 1 or 2 percent. If a gabioll wa ll is used instead of concrete, the cost wi ll depend on whether a supply of rip-rap mate· rial is availahle lucally or whelher il must hauled in from an outside source. If cOlicrete is used for the wall. it may be diflicult 10 use "ready mix:' g iven the fact that s ite access is usually partially restricted by terrain . In this case, the concrete components would have to be hauled to the si te and a small portable mixer used to prepare the desired mix. The fo llowing estimate is based on a stream chan· nellhal is 20 feel wide wilh a grad ienl of abOUI 5 per-cent ; the detention wall is constructed of gabions from a source of rip-rar Ihal is avai lable nearby. It is as-sumed Ihallhe work would be accomplished by a hired crew: if done by contract, it is assumed the total labor cost would be approx imately the same. Normal ly. the cost of developing stream channels narrower Ihan 20 feel wide would be reuu eed accord ingly. Materials:. . Gabion assortment .. .. ................. $500 Perforated PVC pipe, 4 ~ dia. · 80 It. .. . ...... .... .... ....... ... ... .. .... ...... .. ....... 60 Drain field rock· 25 cu. yds .................... ......................................... .. ................................................... 300 Solid PVC pipe. 4" dia. · 50 It. . .. ................................. 40 Pipe fitt ings, etc. . .. 100 CMP tanks: 30~ dia. X 36" w/hinged lid. 2 or 3~ coupling (inlet). . ...... .... ......... ..... . 100 42" dia. X 96~. hinged lid & drain. 3" outlet ... ..... .. .. ........ .. .......... ................................................. 300 Cement. sand and gravel ............................................................................................................. 50 Miscellaneous j,ams . . 75 Filler material· 70 sq. yds .............................. .......... ................. . . ....... 75 Labor: 10 work days ................................... . .............. .... ..... ....... ...... .. .. .... ...... ....................... ......... ...... ..... .. 1.500 Equipment : Backhoe· 20 hours .. . .................................. .. .. .. ... .... ...... ... ............................... 300 Total 53400 This open slream colleclion syslem is localed on Ihe Colorado Plateau in northeastern Sevier County, Utah. Soils on the waters hed are primarily derived from marine shales Ihat produce very fine sedimenlS. Operation provides drinking water for grazing animals during the winter months, hence Ihe need for Ihe solar relleclor 10 help minimize ice buildup on the surface of the stream. The reflector is removed during the flood season. The same system is piped approximately 6 miles and serves four troughs Ihal provide waler 10 liveslock from December 1 to April 15. In add ilion. small herC;s of deer and elk take advantage of the water sources. This system atso provides water to a wetland area that evolved from an old reservoir constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 193Os. It is now permanently protected 'rom livestock by the pole fence, which was constructed with volunteer labor. Another collection system provides water to this 50,000-galion collapsible tank, where it is conveyed by a booster pump to a permanent storage tank located 2 miles away and 600 feet higher in elevation. The water is then distributed by gravity flow through approximately 7 miles of pipeline to four sets of troughs. Summary Next i ll illlpOrli.lIlcC In all adcljuatt' suppl y uf for· age for gra7i llg i.lI1 imal" is the availa hil ity of drinking \"';,lIer. Frcql lcn ll y. 011 open range lands. prohkll1!" wit h terra in andlor the lack of aucqu:llc water !\oun.:cs in-h ibit the opl illw l d istrihut iun or lives tock to assure pn)per lI ~C of the mngc. L:UHJ lIlamlgcrs Iwvc li ttle COIl -trol m'er (ermi n. Ilowcvcr. since walt'r is a Il 'J id n:-suurn .. it can bt.: conveyed 10 variuus pni nts wi thin .1 graling area so that proper utiliza tioll and management of furage l.'an be rcali7.cll . The Opt.' 11 StrCi. lIl1 Cullec tion amJ Di version Sys-tcm l'onccpt ('In pro\'it.1c an allded lIimcnsiul1 for dis-trihuting W'lte r to desired .In:as, if it is properly designed and cOlIstruCh.!u. The cost of such 3 projcct wi II vary according to individual site c.. .. ond itions_ However. if a db lributiuTl system is fe'l siblc for providing w.lIer to Illultiple trough sy:-.tl!llls. it may be well worth the in-vestll1ent. Any developments IllllSt be subject to ex ist-ing laws <Jnd regulatiuns governing water rights and the managcrncnt 3nu protec ti on of rip;lrian/wcll :.II1J areas. References I. StOlld<ln.1. L. A .. A. D. Smith. ami Thadis W. Box. 197'5. Range Management (third edit ion ), pp. 282·283. McGraw 1·lill Co .. New York. New York. 2. Wildlife SocieiY. 1969. Wild life Management Techniques (third edit ion). p. 190. Edward Brothers. Inc .. Ann Arbor. Midligi.lIl . REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Fonn Approved OMB No. 0704·0188 PUO'ot rlellOl"I'''g O\J'~" 10' 1'''5 tQllecllO" oI·,,' orrraliQn ., eSl'''''ll~ 10 aVfrilge , f\(lu' !le' 'esoonse. 'nc;1t,id'''9 Ihe tome lOt reviewIng .... s!rucbon'. seal'Cl'Wng , • • Sllng <lata sources, g.lll1e"ng and maJnl"l<n,"9 me oata ne~ a'IIJ CO'T1p 'ehn\l a 'e' !"" " g r ll! t1:Il~liQn 01 ,nlo' rn.111Q<1 Send «Immenls regardtng tn" OUlclen !Sbmale 01 any Oll'>er asoec;l oIln<s eol!ectoOn oI ,nlOlmaloOn, ItI(lU(J,1'I!iI sU9!1M.!oC'lS '0' Il'OUCrlllll '>1' bUIde''' 10 Wasrun g~o" ~lea(JQullrtels Serwoces. DIfKto,a:" IOf IntormatlOn Ope/ahons and ReI :1"5, 1215 Jellerson OaVls H'Ohway, Su'te 12'0<1, Artington, VA 22202·4302 al'ld:1) 1'1e O" >Ct! o ' t.!a ... a~menl and e lJOge'l PdOt! .... O. ~ Re-ducloon P'OIKt !0704·0188), Washmg:on, DC 2CY.>OJ 1. AGENCY USE ON LY /L eave blank} 12. REPORT DATE 13. REPORT TYPE AND OATES COVERED November Il)l)-l Final 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Opt' ll S tre;un Coll e\.· ti nn and Dj\'er<; inn : An Added Dimension in Providing W;uer for Gra/ill~ Animals 6. AUTHOR(S) S. Do ug las Wuod 7. PERFORMING ORGANiZATION NAME(S) AND AOORESS(ES) U.S. Departlllent of the Inte rior Burea u uf Land r-.1ana,gemenl - Ri('htidd Distri(' t Oflice 150 Ea <; t 900 North Ridltield. UT X-17()J 9. SPONSORINGIMONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 12a. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 1 ~. ABSTRACT IMmflmum 200 words) This tedllli('al note des('ribe<; an erft'l' [i \'t' s ys tem for ('ott e('t ing Wil ie r from open stre~l 1l1S and w ll\'eyi ng. it several m iles via pi peline systems 10 wateri ng troughs in arid loca tions. Perhap" (llle nf the greatest dlallenge<; in managing l:lnu" Ihm prmilJ('c forage for graz ing animals i" to strike a des irable balan('e be tween forage and water. llnwe\'cr. on native t! raz ing lanus. thi s is rare ly tile l':l "e due to I'! rrain :'Intlullevcn dis tribution uf waler. The "open stream l'lI l1 el'linn and Jin' rs ioll s),stem " ~tldresses tl!ls issue with a spe(' ific engineering sl)lut ill n. 14. SUBJECT TERM S • Walt'T di stri but ion • G raz ing • Stream t.ii vc rsic'l[l Pi pelines filtering s)" telll S. FUNDING NUMBERS 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER BLM/SC/ST·95/00 1 +9170 10. SPONSORINGIMONITORING AGENC'f REPORT NUMBER 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE 15. NUMBER OF PAGES t6 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 1'8. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 119. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF REPORT OF THIS PAGE OF ABSTRACT Unl'l a .. si liet.i Um: la,,<;ific-d Und:lssified 20. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT UL NSN 7540·01 ·280·5500 _o.s. COVEk.'\!iDlT PlI.ltrrl1'C anTe! : 1995-673-001 /00 006 q Slandard Form 298 (Rev 2·89) Pt""'-IIJIo.'ISISldll9" 

Open Stream Collection and Diversion:  An Added Dimension in Providing Water for Grazing Animals

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Open Stream Collection and Diversion: An Added Dimension in Providing Water for Grazing Animals

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