Cover photo of Desert Bighorn ewe and lamb at the Butte Guzzler east

of Mina, Nevada, by Andy Stinson of Hawthorne, Nevada.

Chapter Two and Appendix A photos by William R. “Rick” Brigham,

BLM Carson City District, Nevada.

COPIES AVAILABLE FROM:

BLM National Business Center

Printed Materials Distribution Service, BC-652

P.O. Box 25047

Denver, Colorado 80225-0047

303-236-7637

TN 397

BLM/RS/ST-96/009+6500/REV03

This document is also available on the NSTC website at http://www.blm.gov/nstc

Production services provided by:

Publishing Staff

Peter Doran (303-236-6547)

Janine Koselak: Layout and Design

Kathy Rohling: Editing

Lee Barkow, Director

National Science & Technology Center

P.O. Box 25047

Denver, Colorado 80225-0047

The Bureau of Land Management’s National Science

and Technology Center supports other BLM offices by

providing a broad spectrum of services in areas such as

physical, biological, and social science assessments; 

architecture and engineering support; library assistance;

mapping science; photo imaging; geographic information

systems applications; and publications support. 
By:

William R. “Rick” Brigham

Bureau of Land Management

Carson City, Nevada

Craig Stevenson

Nevada Division of Wildlife

Las Vegas, Nevada
Suggested citation:

Brigham, W.R. and C. Stevenson. 1997, Revised 2003. Wildlife Water Catchment Construction in

Nevada. Technical Note 397. Bureau of Land Management, Denver, Colorado. 

BLM/RS/ST-96/0091-6500/REV03. 97 pp.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

i

Abstract

This technical note describes two

artificial water catchment (guzzler)

construction methods that are used in

northern and southern Nevada. In

northern Nevada, a standard guzzler

unit is constructed, and a site is located

in which to install it. In southern

Nevada, the slickrock and artificial

apron units are tailored to specific

sites. Each of these methods includes

detailed information on site selection,

site preparation, selection and transport of materials and equipment, and

step-by-step construction information.

The technical note should give

prospective builders enough information

to construct a guzzler on their own.

The note also includes information

on construction methods and materials

that have proven to be less than successful, and a brief section on other

water development methods.

WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

iii

Acknowledgments

September 1997

Version

The authors wish to thank the many

interested and energetic volunteer

groups for providing most of the labor

and much of the funding for the water

catchment projects and for the many

ideas they have contributed—they

have greatly enhanced the quality of

the projects.

Both authors are indebted to Larry

Johnson of the Reno Chapter of

Nevada Bighorns Unlimited (NBU).

Larry has been the prime mover in

coordinating volunteers and funding.

Author Rick Brigham works closely

with three local groups: the Reno and

Fallon Chapters of NBU and the

Hawthorne Sportsmen. A note of

thanks to Ralph McClintock, who

introduced Rick to the NBU organization back in 1987. This is when the

big game guzzler program in the

Carson City District really got off the

ground. These partnerships evolved to

the point that the two NBU groups

funded and built most of the big game

guzzlers in BLM’s Carson City

District. Without their support, the

Carson City District would not have

the water developments that now exist.

Author Craig Stevenson works closely

with the Fraternity of the Desert

Bighorn at Las Vegas, Nevada, and

receives much of the funding for his

program from the Reno Chapter of

NBU.

We would be remiss if we failed to

mention Ed Pribyl with the Fraternity

of the Desert Bighorn and Royce

“Woody” Wood, formerly with the

Fraternity, and now a director for the

Foundation for North American Wild

Sheep. Ed has been the quiet strength

of the Fraternity and Woody greatly

improved the Fraternity’s fundraising

capabilities, placing helicopter use in

our grasp so that we might place water

catchments further from harm and

more accessible to wildlife.

Thanks to Ray Boyd, now retired, for

coordinating the production process

for the original version of this technical

note. 

September 2003

Revision Update

Thanks to Clint Bentley and his partner,

Cindy Alexander, recent mainstays in

the Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn.

Clint has added his considerable contracting and construction knowledge

and skills to the Fraternity’s ongoing

water development efforts.

Thanks also to Kathy Rohling,

writer/editor, and Janine Koselak,

Visual Information Specialist, both 

of BLM’s National Science and

Technology Center in Denver for the

editing, layout, and final production

of this revised publication.

WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

v

A Note About 

the Authors

Rick Brigham has been a BLM

wildlife biologist for 35 years. He has

served in three districts in two states

and has been building guzzlers since

1974.

Craig Stevenson is a wildlife biologist

with the Nevada Division of Wildlife

in Las Vegas, Nevada. He has been

with the Division for 21 years and is

the “water-development-for-wildlife

expert” in southern Nevada.

WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

vii

Table of Contents

Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .i

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .iii

A Note About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .v

Chapter 1 - Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Chapter 2 - Northern Nevada Water Catchment Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Small and Big Game Guzzlers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Site Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Small Game Guzzler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Big Game Guzzler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Site Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Small Game Guzzler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Big Game Guzzler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Materials and Equipment Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Plumbing the Tanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Setting the Tanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Plumbing and Setting the Drinker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Apron Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Beams and Uprights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Sheeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Gutter Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Fences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Buck and Rail Fence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Smooth Wire/4-5 Stand Barbed Wire Fence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Small Game Guzzler Fence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Loose Ends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Comments on Substitutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Table 1 – Materials/Parts List for Small Game Guzzler . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Table 2 – Materials/Parts List for Big Game Guzzler . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Table 3 – Equipment/Tools Checklist for Guzzler and Fence 

Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Table 4 – Big Game Guzzler General Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Specification drawing 1 – Water Storage Tank–Small Game Guzzler . .40

Specification drawing 2 – Tank and Cover Corner Details . . . . . . . . .41

Specification drawing 3 – Tank Cover Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Specification drawing 4 – Ramp Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Specification drawing 5 – Water Storage Tank–Big Game Guzzler . . . .44

Specification drawing 6 – Walk-Down Drinker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

viii

Table of Contents (cont)

Chapter 3 - Southern Nevada Water Catchment Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Slickrock and Hypalon Guzzlers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Site Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Collection Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Slickrock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Tarp Aprons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

General Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

Slickrock Dam Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

Hypalon Apron Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

General Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Pipeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Tank Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Tank Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

Tanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Polytank Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

Pipeline Inflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

Equalizers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

Overflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

Manifold - Tanks to Drinker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72

Insulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72

Float Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72

Drinker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76

Fences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76

Table 1 – Sources for Water Development Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79

Table 2 – Polyethylene Tank Sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80

Chapter 4 - Aerial Transportation of Materials and Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . .81

Helicopter Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81

Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81

Paperwork/Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

Load Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

Staging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85

External Load Equipment/Sling Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86

Appendix A - Additional Water Catchment Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89

Appendix B - Lasting Waters for Bighorn by Robert S. Gray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

1

Chapter 1-Introduction

Nevada is the driest state in the United

States. Usable water for humans, livestock, mining, or fish and wildlife is at

a premium. Rainfall is as low as 4 inches

per year in many areas and surface

water is often nonexistent.

Water is one of the four essential habitat components for vertebrate wildlife

species; the other three are food, cover

and space. Where water is lacking, but

other habitat essentials are available to

benefit wildlife, water may be developed

using artificial means, or a combination

of artificial and natural means.

The purpose of this technical note is

to describe artificial water catchment

construction methods that are used in

Nevada, including site selection, site

preparation, and transport of materials

and equipment. This technical note is

not meant to be all inclusive, but

should give the prospective “guzzler”

builder enough information to get

started. The technical note also

includes information on construction

methods and materials that have

proven less than successful.

Nevada began a wildlife water development program in the 1950s. Big game

water catchments were a novelty in the

early years. The emphasis, initially, was

on water catchments for small game

bird species. One of the first bighorn

(Ovis canadensis spp.) water catchments

was constructed in June 1956 and was

only recently “rediscovered” in southern

Nevada.

Although there was a push for bighorn

water catchments in the 1970s, it wasn’t

until the early to mid-1980s that a

program concentrating on bighorn

sheep habitat evaluation and improvement was developed. The goal of the

program was to establish viable bighorn

populations in historic and otherwise

suitable habitats throughout Nevada.

More often, the program focused on

mitigating the loss of natural water

sources. The projects that were constructed to improve bighorn habitat

ultimately proved more useful to all

wildlife species than did the earlier

small game units.

A term used for artificial water catchments for terrestrial wildlife species is

“guzzler.” The term was originally

coined in 1943 as “gallinaceous guzzler”

by Ben Glading, who at the time was

head of the California Department of

Fish and Game (CDFG). Many parts

of California lacked surface water for

small game species, and the CDFG

made a major effort over the next

several decades to develop water for

gallinaceous birds, especially California

Quail (Lophortyx californicus), mourning

doves (Zenaidura macroura), and the

introduced chukar partridge (Alectoris

chukar).

A guzzler consists of an apron for collecting precipitation, a tank to store it

in, and access to the water by different

sized wildlife species.

Materials used in guzzler construction

have varied considerably in the past 40

years. In northern Nevada, where most

soils and surface rock are comparatively

porous, steel is preferred for the

aprons. Fiberglass and cross-linked
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

2

polyethylene are preferred for the

storage tanks, PVC or plastic for the

plumbing fittings, polypipe for the

hose, and brass for the gate and float

valves.

In southern Nevada, where soils and

surface rock may be as impervious and

concrete, natural aprons are used

wherever possible. These are called

“slickrock” aprons and they utilize

natural features such as small gullies.

Where slickrock is not available,

hypalon fabric may be used.

Polyethylene is used for the storage

tanks, polypipe for the hose, steel for

the pipe fittings, and brass for the valves.

A main consideration in building the

guzzlers, whether in the northern of

southern parts of Nevada, is to build

them as simple and as strong as possible. This results in fewer problems and

reduced maintenance costs.

Guzzlers are constructed in two basic

sizes. The small guzzler attracts small

game and nongame species such as

quail, doves, chukars, rabbits (Sylvilagus

spp.), and neotropical (migrating)

birds. The large guzzler accommodates

game such as antelope (Antilocapra

americana), big horn sheep, and mule

deer (Odocoileus hemionus).

In the information that follows,

Chapter 2, Northern Nevada Water

Catchments Guidelines, explains how

water catchments are built by the

Bureau of Land Management in northern Nevada, specifically by the Carson

City District. This set of guidelines has

been fine tuned over the past 14 years.

Chapter 3, Southern Nevada Water

Catchment Guidelines, contains information on slickrock collection surfaces

feeding storage tanks and drinkers.

The information, originally published

in an abbreviated form in 1988, has

been updated to reflect the experience

and expertise that has accrued since

then. This chapter also contains information on artificial (hypalon) aprons

placed at ground level.

In Chapters 2 and 3, the authors each

describe a different construction

method. In Chapter 2, author Rick

Brigham constructs a fixed guzzler unit

and then finds the appropriate setting

in which to install it. In Chapter 3,

author Craig Stevenson employs a

flexible unit (in terms of materials)

and tailors each unit to it’s selected

site. Both approaches have been very

effective.

Chapter 4, Aerial Transportation of

Materials and Equipment, is based on

the collective experience of both

authors in the use of helicopters to

transport materials and equipment to

remote sites.

Appendix A, Additional Water

Catchment Devices, discusses other types

of natural and artificial water-catching

and storing devices.

Appendix B, Lasting Waters for Bighorn,

was originally presented to the 1974

Desert Bighorn Council by its late

author, Robert S. Gray, who was president of the Arizona Desert Bighorn

Sheep Society (ADBSS) at the time.

Gray’s paper is reprinted here in its

entirety with the permission of the

ADBSS. It contains useful information

on sealing rock for either collection or

storage of water.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

3

Chapter 2-Northern

Nevada Water

Catchment Guidelines

Small and Big

Game Guzzlers

The BLM’s Carson City District in

northern Nevada currently has 126

BLM guzzlers, plus 102 more that

were constructed by other agencies on

the 5 million acres of public lands in

the district. The guzzler designs used at

Carson City have evolved over the last

27 years. The guzzlers are designed and

built to last at least 30 years and to be

virtually maintenance free. No slickrock catchments have been constructed

since opportunities for this design are

very limited in this region. (See

Chapter 3 for slick rock developments

in southern Nevada)

A small game guzzler consists of a

single 5-foot x 10-foot x 30-inch

fiberglass storage tank of 800 gallon

capacity, with a bolt-on lid that is open

at one end, and a walk-down ramp to

the water, overlain by a 16-foot x 

16-foot almost horizontal steel roofing

collection apron supported by a

framework of steel “C” beams on steel

uprights. Small game guzzlers have

been constructed primarily for chukar

and mourning dove. Two people can

dig the hole for the tank and build the

unit in two days or less if the hole is

dug with a backhoe.

A big game guzzler consists of five of

the same fiberglass storage tanks as

those used for the small game guzzlers

(or two of the Boss polypropylene

tanks) set side by side in the ground,

plumbed together underground, and

overlain by four to six of the same

collecting aprons used on small game

guzzlers. The four to six aprons may

also be combined into two side by side

aprons. The roofs of the tanks, however,

are solid; they are not open at one end.

The tanks are connected by underground plumbing to a separate, uncovered walk-down/ramped fiberglass

drinker that is 36 inches x 72 inches x

30 inches deep. The water level in the

drinker is controlled either by a float

valve or by a self-leveling system.

The unit is protected by a fence varying in length from between 250 to 1,

200 feet, comprised of either wood

posts/buck and rail, or 4-5 strand

barbed wire and smooth wire on steel

posts and corners.

The big game guzzlers in the Carson

City District have been constructed

primarily for desert bighorn sheep, and

secondarily for mule deer and antelope.

Small and big game guzzlers are produced in four phases: site selection; site

preparation; materials and equipment

transport; and construction.

Specification Drawings

See specification drawings

at the end of this chapter for

the small game guzzler,

specifically the water storage tank, roof ramp, and

tank and cover corner detail.

Also see Table 1 (end of

chapter) for the small game

guzzler materials/parts list.

See specification drawings

at the end of this chapter

for the big game guzzler,

including the drinker, and

for the small game roof,

which is the same as the

big fame roof except both

ends are closed. Also see

Photos 1 and 2. See Table 2

for the big game guzzler

materials/ parts list.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

4

Photo 1. Northern guzzler details. Front aprons share three central uprights; rear apron shares

uprights with one front apron. Gutter is in place and connected to tanks. Tops of tanks and

sewer and drainpipe (S&D) protecting gate valves are visible.

Photo 2. Brass float valve, arm and ball, with fittings. Two steel floor flanges are needed per

assembly. All components are 1 1/2-inch in diameter. All flange bolts, nuts, and washers are

stainless steel.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

5

Site Selection

Small Game Guzzler

The site for the small game guzzler

should be located where the species

using it would normally expect to find

water. It should be located in adequate

habitat, such as canyons or draws in

hilly areas with adequate escape cover

(shrubs or rocks) close by for chukars,

and the same or flat areas for mourning

doves.

Many of the current small game guzzlers are located in wash bottoms, but

on small benches so they won’t wash

away during thunderstorms. The intersections where several small canyons

come together are also very good for

chukars.

The site should:

• be as flat as possible for ease of

construction.

• contain soft soil for ease in digging.

• be located away from outcrops and

outcrop areas

• avoid depressions. If the tank is

nearly empty and a thunderstorm or

flood hits, it may float the tank out

before it has a chance to fill.

Situate the tank opening so the sun

doesn’t shine into it and so that it faces

away from the prevailing wind; both

cut down on evaporation. If possible,

have it face north. Keep in mind, however, that the tank opening will attract

more birds, especially flying mourning

doves, if it faces the wash, and if the

apron is high enough above it that

doves flying in the wash/canyon will

see the water in the tank.

Helpful Hint

Read these instructions 

all the way through to

familiarize yourself with

the overall process before

starting your guzzler. Some

steps of the construction

process are performed concurrently, which can save

time and money.

Another good location for small game

guzzlers is in areas where small game

predators are found. These animals

hunt in good small game habitats.

Big Game Guzzler

The site for the big game guzzler

should be located where the species

using it would normally expect to find

water. It should be located in adequate

habitat (except for water) for the 

primary species, which is usually in

canyon bottoms/washes for desert

bighorns and mule deer, and open

flat/gently rolling areas for antelope.

Make sure the catchment sits up out of

the wash on a small bench so it will

not be destroyed by high water during

thunderstorms.

The site should:

• be as flat as possible for ease of

construction.

• contain soft soil for ease in digging.

• avoid depressions. If the tanks are

nearly empty and a thunderstorm or

flood hits, it may float the tanks out

before they have a chance to fill.

Leave room around the guzzler for a

fence if livestock of feral horses or

burros are in the area and constitute a

threat to the water source. The fences

are usually 240 to 300 feet in circumference for deer and bighorn, and a

minimum of 300 feet in length on

each of four sides for antelope. While

the 300 x 300 foot fence has been used

for antelope, they will also use the

waters protected by the smaller, shorter

fences, including buck and rail.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

6

Site Preparation

Small Game Guzzler

For a small game guzzler, mark off the

area for the tank. The hole size is 6 feet

x 11 feet x 30 inches. It can be dug by

hand, backhoe, or Bobcat. The bottom

of the hole should be level so the tank

is level. Use a 36-inch or longer level

to ensure that the tank sets level in the

hole. Backfill around the tank using

fine material; large or sharp rocks will

poke holes in the tank when the

weight of the water pushes down. The

tank should sit in the ground so that

the entrance used by the birds is an

inch or two above the surrounding

dirt. Pave the area in front of the

opening with flat rocks, if possible, to

keep dirt from blowing into the tank.

When finished, proceed to the Apron

Construction section in this chapter.

Big Game Guzzler

For a big game guzzler, mark off the

area for the tanks. The hole size is

12-feet x 28-feet x 30-inches deep for

five fiberglass tanks, or 18-feet x 

19-feet x 24-inches for Boss tanks. 

It can be dug by hand, backhoe, or

Bobcat; it can also be blasted. Blasting

loosens the soil so the hole can be

cleaned out easily. The big game

guzzler tank holes in the Carson City

District were blasted using commercially prepared Anfo (ammonium

nitrate and fuel oil). It comes in very

small pellet form in 50 pound bags

(costs about $10 a bag) or in 5-inch x

30-inch sausages. It usually requires

three to four bags or sausages per site,

depending upon rockiness.

The Carson City District uses a qualified blaster. The blasting crew consists

of approximately 4 to 10 agency people,

including Explosive Ordnance Disposal

(EOD) personnel from the local naval

aircraft base. More personnel may be

needed if blasting materials and digging

equipment must be carried to the site.

For safety reasons, the holes are blasted

up to a month before construction

takes place and before materials are

delivered to the site.

Materials and

Equipment

Transport

Materials and equipment can be transported to the site either by truck or

helicopter. The fiberglass tanks have

bolt-on lids so they can be removed

and the tanks and lids nested for easier

transport; this saves tremendous bulk.

Smaller, lighter items can then be

transported in them. Also, tanks of this

size are easy to sling load with even a

light helicopter. The Boss polypropylene tanks are 8 feet x 16 feet x 2 feet

and weigh 800 pounds. A medium

helicopter is safest for moving them.

(See Chapter 4 for details on helicopter

operations.) Carson City uses two

trucks (2-ton flatbeds, 16- to 18-footlong-beds with side rails) for big game

units and one for small game units.

The materials are usually transported

between the time the hole is prepared

and the construction crew arrives.

Once the materials are unloaded at

the site, unroll the black polypipe/

Driscopipe (See Table 2, Materials/

Parts List for Big Game Guzzler and

Fence) so it has time to straighten in

the sun. This will make it much easier

to work with.

Helpful Hint

Dig or blast the hole for the

tanks as close as possible

to the right size. If the hole

is too small, you’ll have to

keep removing dirt; if the

hole is too big, then a lot

of backfilling will be 

necessary.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

7

Construction

On construction day, the crew should

make sure the hold for the tanks is

level on the bottom and free of rocks,

which could gouge their way through

fiberglass. Use a 3-foot level, flat shovels,

one of the 18-foot “C” beams, plus

McLeods (combination heavy-duty

rake/hoe) and/or regular rakes to do

this. A tripod-mounted engineering

level and a stadia rod (standard items)

help ensure that the hole and tanks are

level. Make sure that the tanks are also

level with each other.

If the hole is properly prepared prior

to construction, it will take 15 to 20

persons 8 to 9 hours to complete the

entire unit, including the fence. It

will take less time if motorized 

earthmoving equipment, such as a

Bobcat or backhoe, is available on

construction day.

Photo 3. Bottom of fiberglass tank showing bulkhead fastener and 90 ̊ MIP-barbed fittings 

in place.

Plumbing the Tanks

Make sure each fiberglass tank and lid

combination is properly marked before

removing the lid (lids must be off the

tanks when installing plumbing fittings) so you won’t have to redrill new

bolt holes. (The polypropylene tanks

do not require this.) Mark the end of

the tank opposite the end where the

manhole cover in the lid will be with a

“P” for plumbing, prior to construction.

The plumbing is connected along the

front ends of the tanks and the manhole

covers are at the rear. There is more

room under the apron at the rear of

the tanks than at the front, allowing

future access into the tanks.

While most of the crew is cleaning and

leveling the hole, have two to three

people start plumbing the storage

tanks (Photos 3, 4, and 5).

Helpful Hint

To save time and to make

the job easier:

1. Lay out the plumbing,

tank, and apron tools

and their associated

equipment and parts on

their own individual

tarps.

2. Provide construction

drawings

3. Prepare and pass out

maps to the group leaders that outline directions

into the site and to a

well marked parking

area.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

8

Photo 4. Tank plumbing assembly, left to right: bulkhead fastener, 90 ̊ MIP-plastic barbed

adapter, polypipe with hose clamps, straight MIP-barbed adapter, brass gate valve, straight 

MIP-barbed adapter, polypipe with hose clamps, plastic tee.

Photo 5. Completed/installed plumbing unit for big game guzzler.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

9

Prop the fiberglass tanks (without the

lids bolted on) on their sides and cut a

2 3/8-inch hole in the bottom of each

at the end marked “P.” The center of

the hole (which is cut with the hole

cutter) is 3 inches in from where the

curved radius flattens out on the 

bottom of the tank and is centered

between each side. Take the bulkhead

fastener, put a bead of silicone caulking

under the head of it and around the

hole on the inside of the tank so the

rubber gasket will have silicone on

both sides when the fastener is tightened with the lock ring on the outside

of the tank. The polypropylene tanks

are heavy enough that they should be

plumbed once in place.

Tighten the lock ring with a pipe

wrench or channel-lock pliers. This

takes two people, one on the outside

and one on the inside of the tank. The

lock ring should be tightened just to

the point where the rubber gasket starts

to bulge from under the flange of the

bulkhead fastener. When initially

tightened, the bulkhead fastener and

tank plumbing unit can easily be rotated. Don’t worry—the silicone caulking

sets up firmly in about 24 hours.

Once the bulkhead fastener is tightened

and the 90 ̊ MIP plastic-barbed adapter

is screwed into it, make an assembly of

the polypipe with hose clamps, straight

MIP-barbed adapter, brass gate valve,

the second straight MIP-barbed adapter,

and polypipe with hose clamps and

plastic “T” or “L.” Use the following

dimensions for polypipe lengths: 

12 inches between 90 ̊ MIP and the

gate valve’s straight MIP; a 4 inch

connector between the gate valve MIP

and the “T” or “L.” (See the specification drawings and photos also for the

tank and plumbing unit sequence.)

Teflon tape and pipe dope are used to

seal the threaded joints, such as the

90 ̊ MIP-to-bulkhead fitting and the

MIP-to-gate-valve joints. Wind the

tape in the same direction as you turn

the fittings.

Be sure to put the hose clamps on each

piece of polypipe before forcing the

pipe onto fittings. Slip the end of the

polypipe over the fitting and secure the

joint with a stainless steel hose clamp.

To tighten the hose clamps, use a

5/16-inch nut driver or a short-shank

screw driver with proper bit.

Cover the opening of the “T” or “L”

with duct tape so dirt won’t get into

the plumbing as it is lowered into the

hole.

When you reach this point, right the

tank so it is level. Make sure to prop

up the plumbed end with one of the

steel uprights lying on its edge. (Don’t

bust out the tank bottom by putting

the weight of the tank and lid on the

plumbing!)

Use a 36-inch piece of notched sewer

and drain pipe (S&D) to protect the

gate valve. The gate valve will be far

enough from the 90 ̊ MIP when the

assembly is connected that the 36-inch

notched piece of 4-inch S&D pipe will

be vertical when the tank is in the

ground.

Note that the S&D caps will not fit

over the enlarged end of the S&D

pipe, so notch it and put the cap on

the other end during installation. Also,

instead of cutting out the tabs that are

formed when the cuts are made for

notches, bend the tabs out to 90 ̊ and

tape the tabs to the fittings on either

side of the gate valve using duct tape.

Helpful Hint

Once the polypipe is measured and cut, bevel the

inside of the ends slightly

with a knife and heat them

gently with a hand-held

propane torch. If you are

buying a new torch, buy

one with a built-in igniter

to save hassle with matches

or sparking devices. When

it is raining or snowing and

the torch is turned off

between pipe heatings,

matches or propane lighters

do not work! The magnesium fire starters work best

in this situation. Keep a

roll of paper towels or

mechanics’ grease rags

handy to help keep things

dry.

Helpful Hint

The black polypipe is difficult to work with. When it

is forced onto a MIP-barbed

fitting (or “T” or “L”), it

may not be perfectly

straight. If you have any

doubts about the quality

of the joint once the hose

clamp is tightened/retightened, run a bead of silicone

caulking around the joint

to seal it.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

10

Taping the tabs will prevent the S&D

pipe from being inadvertently pulled

out of the ground, thus burying the

gate valve.

Once everything is attached and tightened down and you have reached the

fifth fiberglass tank, go back and

retighten all the hose clamps and the

MIP fittings in the gate valves. Also

retighten the hose clamps when you

hook up the plumbing between the

tanks and the drinker. This retightening is necessary because the polypipe

expands when heated, then contracts

as it cools.

Put one of the white, 4-inch PVC lids

on the upper end of the S&D pipe,

then tape it to the edge of the tank so

it won’t move around when the tank is

picked up and lowered into the hole.

Bolt the lid onto the tank. When the

lid is bolted back on, the tank unit is

much stiffer, which will help when it is

carried and lowered into the hole. Use

either small Phillip’s head screwdrivers

or punches to align the lid holes with

the tank holes; make sure you have at

least three or four to speed up the

process. Also, have extra 3 1/2-inchlong carriage bolts (5/16-inch) to

replace any bolts that were damaged

when the lids were removed.

Move each fiberglass tank with a minimum of four to six people. It helps to

have two to three people move the

tanks from the plumbing site and the

others standing ready in the hole to

receive them. This eliminates sloughing

a lot of dirt back into the hole, which

will have to be cleaned out again. The

polypropylene tanks, which weigh

800 pounds, require 8 to 10 people to

move easily.

Setting the Tanks

The big game tanks are lined up in

two pairs plus one leaving a 1-foot gap

between pairs, so that all the fronts are

in a straight line parallel with the

trench (Figure 1).

Each tank, with plumbing attached, is

lowered into the hole until the plumbing touches the ground. The tank is

lifted up, a small trench is dug to

accommodate the plumbing, and the

tank is then lowered back into place.

(The small trenches can also be dug

beforehand.) Make sure that all tanks

are level with each other so that no

storage capacity will be lost.

Once the first tank is in the ground,

dig a trench (if you haven’t already) to

accommodate the polypipe that will

connect all the “T’s” and “L’s.” Cut

appropriate lengths (you measure

them) of polypipe; if the polypipe is

not straight, measure it on the inside

of the curve or the piece will be too

short. Remember to place the hose

clamps loosely on these polypipe pieces

beforehand so that you won’t have to

take them apart for installation.

When this is done and the tanks are

connected to the drinker (see the next

section, Plumbing and Setting the

Drinker), backfill around the tanks

being careful to use just dirt, sand, or

small rocks. Carefully backfill around

the plumbing and vertical sections of

the S&D pipe. If the S&D pipe sticks

out of the ground, cut it off so the

handle of the sprinkler key doesn’t

have to fit inside the pipe when the

valve is being operated.

On the big game units, two uprights

need to be set in the gap between tank

pairs (Figure 1) before backfilling.

Helpful Hint

Make sure that the sprinkler

key you will use to open/

close the gate valves will

fit the gate valve handle.

Some of these round valve

handles come with an 

aluminum disk on them;

remove the disk before

installation. Some gate

valve handles may not fit in

the 4-inch S&S pipe and

may have to be cut down

with a hacksaw, depending

on the brand of valve.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

11

Figure 1. Carson City big game guzzler schematic. Schematic shows method that uses five

fiberglass tanks. The alternate method uses two polypropylene (16’ x 8’ x 2’) tanks.

Apron

Tank

Upright

Tank Tank Tank Tank

Apron

Elbow Elbow

Tees

Buried pipeline

Upright Gate valves

Gate valve

Drinker

_ 16 fe

et +

16 feet

Note: Drawing not to scale
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

12

Figure 2. Float valve drinker details.

Drinker wall

Brass float valve

SIDE VIEW

Steel nipple

90° MIP fitting

Stainless steel 

cap screws and nuts

Malelable iron flanges

DRINKER - TOP VIEW

RAMP PORTION

Lid

Flat portion

6" Copper float ball

Incoming line

Gate valve

Float valve

 MIP fitting

 MIP fitting

 Polypipe Polypipe

Hose clamps

Gate valve

Hose clamps

Note: Drawings not to scale

NOTE: Leave enough room between drinker wall

 and flanges so float valve may be screwed 

 onto steel nipple without contacting wall.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

13

Plumbing and Setting the

Drinker

When using a float valve controlled

system, situate the drinker downhill

from the storage tanks far enough to

have enough water pressure to operate

the float valve. As a general rule, most

drinkers are within 30 feet of the

aprons.

When plumbing the drinker on a float

valve system, situate the steel flanges at

one end of the narrow flat bottom of

the drinker so that when the entire

unit is done, the float valve rod will be

parallel and close to the drinker’s vertical end (Figure 2 and Photo 2).

For self-leveling systems, which are

preferred, all of the tanks and the

drinker must be level with each other.

Strive, whenever possible, to use a selfleveling system, as it reduces maintenance problems and costs.

Go to each site prepared to build

either way—self leveler or float-valve

operated in case there in not enough

room to fit the tanks and drinker on

the same level.

Once the drinker is plumbed with

either a float valve or a bulkhead fitting and gate valve, use a 36-inch

notched piece of S&D pipe to protect

the gate valve (same as with the tanks).

The same comments about the total

length of the S&D pipe, once

installed, apply here.

For a float-valve setup, take the small

sheet of steel (Table 2, Parts List) and

situate it over the deep end of the

drinker to protect the float valve.

Secure it to the drinker flange with

TEK screws or nuts and bolts and

washers. Anything that will protect the

float from above will work; steel is preferred because it will last longer than

plywood.

For self-leveling systems, build a riser

made from one straight MIP fitting

screwed into the flange end of the

bulkhead fastener (Photos 6 and 7).

The riser fits loosely into the bulkhead

fitting; shim it with teflon tape so it

fits snugly before inserting it. Cut a

cross-shaped piece of stainless steel

hardware cloth, fold it over the opening of the MIP fitting, and secure with

a hose clamp. Use stainless steel mesh

in preference to galvanized hardware

cloth, if possible. The riser keeps mice

and other small animals from getting

into the plumbing system before water

flows through it. It also keeps any

blown-in dirt and debris from clogging

the bulkhead fastener.

Once everything is hooked up, leave

the gate valves open on the tanks and

closed on the drinker until there is

enough water in the tanks to adjust the

float valve, or until there is enough

water to support the wildlife adequately with the self-leveler (usually when

tanks are one-half to two-thirds full).

When adjusting the float valve, position the floatball so that, in operation,

the top of the ball is 1 1/2 – 2 inches

below the steel roof. If the unit freezes

and the ball is forced upwards, it 

cannot be forced to the point where

the valve arm will fail.

Strange Bedfellows

Animals use drinkers

apparently with little or

no stress. Experiences in

northern Nevada have

shown that elevated

aprons provide shade and

tactical cover for predators.

Black tailed jackrabbits

(Lepus californicus) have

been seen sharing shade

with coyotes (Canis latrans)

under small game guzzler

aprons in the dead of summer. Bighorns have been

seen shading up under big

game aprons placed in

steep country.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

14

Photo 6. Guzzler for self-leveling systems.

Photo 7. Guzzler riser installed in drinker in self-leveling systems.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

15

Apron Construction

Beams and Uprights

Familiarize yourself with Figures 3, 4,

and 5 and Photo 8 for an overall view

of how the beams and uprights fit

together, and for aprons, sheeting, and

upright details.

Each parts list (end of chapter) shows

the number of C-beams required. An

extra beam is added just in case any are

bent or damaged. Some of the beams

will be cut into shorter pieces and used

as uprights. Uprights are made by cutting the 18-foot C-beams into three

6-foot lengths, and then welding two

8-inch pieces of 1 1/2-inch angle iron

on each side of one end (Figure 5).

A small game guzzler requires a total of

five C-beams: three horizontal beams

to hold the apron, plus two more that

will be cut up into 6-foot-tall uprights.

A big game guzzler requires the same

number of C-beams per 16 foot x 16

foot apron except that the two front

aprons will share one set of uprights

(Figures 1 and 3, and Photo 8). And,

depending on the site, the second pair

of aprons may utilize the rear uprights

of the front pair (Photo 1). So, for a

big game guzzler with two 16-foot x

32-foot aprons, you will need 15

beams (10 support and 5 upright) plus

one spare. For two 16-foot x 48-foot

aprons, you will need 21 beams (14

support and 7 upright) plus one spare.

For small game units, take one of the

18-foot beams and lay its edge parallel

to the opening of the tank mouth and

about even with it. Mark holes to be

dug for uprights at each end of the

beam, get the beam out of the way,

and dig the holes.

Note that on big game units, two

uprights have already been placed

between the pairs of fiberglass storage

tanks.

For big game units it is essential that

the plumbing crew hook up all tanks

to each other as soon as they are in the

ground, as the front upright between

pairs of fiberglass tanks usually straddles the polypipe connector between

tanks. This central front upright is the

key corner of the first apron.

The back of the horizontal beam (the

flat side) must face out so you can

hang the gutter on it.

All of the uprights should have the

open part of the C-beam facing toward

the front (Figures 1 and 3).

It is important that the edges of the

uprights be flush with the ends of the

18-foot beam, and that the uprights be

vertical from both directions. Use post

levels for this.

The uprights should be set with the

angle iron feet at least 18 to 24 inches

in the ground for stability.

The center uprights will each have two

horizontal beams (for two aprons)

attached; simply build one apron higher that the other for structural integrity

(Photo 9).

When the uprights are in place and the

C-beam ends are flush so that the holes

can be drilled and the bolts installed,

use the large C-clamps to secure the

beam to the uprights. The beam must

be level.

The bottom edge of the beam should

be far enough above the tank covers to

allow a person entry into the manhole

Helpful Hint

If you have only one pair of

large C-clamps, hold the

uprights and beam together with a TEK screw until

the hold drilling and bolting is completed. This

allows use of the C-clamps

for the next beam.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

16

Figure 3. Critical measurements for guzzler aprons. Note: These figures are for a 16-foot x 

32-foot apron. If a longer apron (48 feet) is used, then key off the right rear upright using

measurements for the first 3 beams shown in the drawing (front and 2).

16'-8"

18'-4"

22'-8"

28'-5"

34'-11"

7'-

8" (92")

15'-4"

23'-0"

30'-8"

Horizontal beam

 flat portion (back pf the "C"

 contacts back of the upright "C"s

Upright

 Note: 1. All uprights face downhill toward the front edge of the apron.

 2. All diagonal measurements are from the inside intersections

 of horizontal beams and upright corners.

 3. 3 beams = 1 small or 1 big game apron;

 5 beams = 1 big game apron. See text.

Note: Drawing 

 not to scale.

TOP VIEW

Front Beam
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

17

Figure 4. Apron and sheeting details.

Sheeting

Prevailing wind

Tek screw

Beam

Sheet overlap

16'-8"

Beam end flush 

with upright

Beam

3/8" Bolts

(Note hole pattern)

Common upright

Note: Drawings not to scale

Big Red's Creative Building Systems 7.2 supra rib has 7 troughs;

install Tek screws in troughs 1, 4, and 7.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

18

Figure 5. Upright details.

Upright

Angle iron

TOP VIEW

FRONT VIEW SIDE VIEW

Upright Angle iron
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

19

Photo 8. Guzzler showing 16-foot x 32-foot one-unit aprons; shared uprights between aprons;

buried tanks, gutter hookups.

underneath the apron for repair and

maintenance purposes. Also, this space

is necessary to ensure that the lawn

sprinkler keys can be easily inserted

down into the S&D pipes.

Once you have reached this point - the

front beam is level, its ends are flush

with the uprights, it is off the ground

enough so that the apron won’t be

hitting the top of the tank, and there

is room for someone to get into the

manhole under the middle beam, drill

the 3/8-inch holes, two per joint. For

strength and stability, the top hole

should be close to the inside edge of

the uprights and the bottom hole close

to the outside edge of the upright/

bottom edge of the beam (Figure 4).

Use the 3/8-inch nut/washer/bolt

assemblies; tighten with ratchet and

sockets or wrenches.

If the site is right, then for big game

units you’ll have two 16-foot x 32 to

48 foot aprons, side by side, and you’ll

need three 50-foot cloth tapes showing

feet and inches, plus a 25-foot tape,

steel or cloth, showing feet and inches

to make all measurements shown in

Figure 3 simultaneously. This process

takes four people to hold and adjust

the tapes, plus one or two more to

mark where the holes for the uprights

should be dug.

Squaring the apron is the single biggest

problem we have had over the years.

You cannot eyeball it! The most critical

dimensions here are the diagonals. They

must be the same from the left-frontinside corner to the right-rear-inside

corner as from the right-front-inside

corner to the left-rear-inside corner.

Note from Figure 3 that the uprights

are 92 inches apart on centers, front

to back.

When the second set of uprights is

true, hold the second 18-foot beam in

place, clamp it, and make sure it is

level (side to side) the same as the first

Helpful Hint

We usually run with two

drills per two-man crew:

one drill has a 1/4-inch bit

and the other a 3/8-inch

bit. Start the 3/8-inch holes

with the 1/4-inch bit as

hole cutting goes faster

that way. The non-drilling

person oils the bits during

drilling to keep them cool

and functioning. Variable

speed electric drills do not

have to be run at maximum

speed—drill bits cut better

if turned slower and oiled.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

20

Photo 9. Center uprights with horizontal beams attached, one above the other, resulting in left

apron sitting higher.

beam, BUT—make sure it is a little

higher than the first beam so that when

water hits the apron, it will run downhill toward the gutter beam. Use about

half a bubble plus on the 36-inch level

to set the gradient. (When everything

is in place, aprons should tilt about

12 inches in 16 feet—roughly a 6

percent grade. The water flows well,

but not too fast to overshoot the gutter

during a heavy downpour.)

Use another beam, which is not yet

attached, as the straightedge between

the front and second beams, and put

the level on it. All beams should be in

line with each other, both side-to-side

and front-to-back, so the apron will be

one plane and not have a hump or

hollow in the center. Attach the rest of

the beams to their prospective uprights

the same as you did the first one.

You have now completed the framing

for one of the four (or two long) aprons

for a big game unit. The second apron

utilizes the right-hand uprights (as you

face the guzzler) or the first apron as

its left-hand uprights. The third and

fourth aprons may be separate entirely,

or if the site allows it, the rear uprights

from either the first or second apron

may be used as the front uprights for

the third and fourth aprons.

We have, where the site allows it, made

two long aprons – 16-feet x 32-feet

(48 feet) which eliminates a third and

fourth gutter assembly. Be very careful,

however, as the long aprons must be

barely tilted or much runoff will be

lost during downpours as the rain

overshoots the gutters. Use the 12

inches per 16 feet rule.

Sheeting

Strive to get sheeting of the pattern

shown in the drawings and photos,

with about the same number of peaks

as valleys per sheet. Sheeting with few

Helpful Hint

A field expedient if the

apron supporters do not

end up being square is to

cut off the top of the

upright.

Helpful Hint

Once the front beam for

each apron is up and bolted,

one or two people can

work on gutters while the

rest work on the sheeting.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

21

humps and more flat area are structurally

much weaker when snow loading is an

issue, as it is in northern Nevada.

Start with the lower and middle

beams, overlapping the sheets by one

hump, side to side. Note the comment

on the drawings about the prevailing

wind (Figure 4).

The front edge of the sheeting should

overhang the front beam face by about

1 inch (no more) so water drops right

into the gutter and doesn’t run down

the face of the beam.

The front edge of the apron should be

a straight line. If it is not, jiggle the

sheets around until it is and the overhang still remains just an inch.

When the front edge of the sheets and

the beam are 1 inch apart all the way

across, and the sheeting is centered

between the uprights, secure the sheeting to the first beam only with TEK

screws (Figure 3). This will make it

much easier to complete the apron,

regardless of length.

Now, lay on the second set of sheeting,

making sure that the downstream or

lower edge comes right to the downstream angle of the middle beam’s face

and edge. Jiggle the sheets again if you

have to.

If the beams and uprights are square,

then the sheeting should go on with a

little bit of room to spare, and no

cutting of the sheeting will be required

where it butts up against the uprights.

Now it’s time to mark where the rest

of the TEK screws will go. Take the

chalk line, center it on the top (horizontal) edge of each beam, snap it,

and start installing the TEK screws.

Do the front edge first (if you haven’t

already), then the middle beam, then

the third beam, and so on. When you

get to the middle beams, you’ll have to

stand on them and the sheeting to put

in the TEK screws. Stay centered on

the beams—no more than a foot or so

to each side of center as the sheeting is

not very strong.

Use three TEK screws to attach 

each piece of sheeting to each beam

(Figure 4). The rubber washed under

the head of each TEK screw keeps

water from flowing down the drill hole

and through the beam. You’ll need a

3/8-inch magnetic socket on the screw

gun to install the #14 TEK screws.

One last (important) thing: bend the

troughs of the front sheet down just a

little using a Crescent wrench so the

water will drop better into the gutter

during light rainfall. If thunderstorms

provide some of the water, use 1 1/2-

inch x 1 1/2-inch aluminum flashing

installed so the vertical side slows high

flows and forces the water down into

the gutter.

Gutter Construction

For an overall view of gutter construction, examine Figure 6, Photos 10 and

11, and the Plastmo Vinyl Gutters

sheet (Figure 7).

Galvanized gutter materials were used

in earlier catchments, but the plastic

Plastmo that is currently used snaps

together and is as durable. (Two Plastmo

gutters have lasted 19 years to date.)

Place the dropout (Figure 6 and Photo

11) so that it will be about 10 feet

from one end of the apron and 5 feet

from the other. Ten feet of gutter, plus

Helpful Hint

Plastmo gutter materials are

round or rounded. Avoid

buying squarish gutters,

pipe, and dropouts if you

can - they are much more

difficult to work with.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

22

5 feet of gutter, plus the dropout width

equals about 16 feet, the width of the

apron.

The dropout should be located down

the face of the beam just far enough

that water falling off the apron will

run down both the 5- and 10-foot

gutter pieces into it. You do not have

to make it steep, just steep enough so

water flows well to the dropout. One

inch below the sheeting at the ends and

2 inches at the center drop are adequate.

Take a pencil or pen and draw a line

on the beam face along the top edge of

the gutter pieces and dropout, or mark

points and use a chalk line. Hold

brackets in place and mark their holds,

as well as the dropout holes. Use a

soft-pencil or felt-tip pen to mark the

holes.

Use a 3/16-inch bit to drill holes in

the beam for the #12 x 3/4-inch sheet

metal screws for the gutter brackets.

You can also use appropriately sized

TEK screws. Use the 10/32 x 1-inch

machine screw/washer/lock washer/nut

combination for the dropout. When

marking the holes for the dropout,

make sure your pen goes all the way

through and contacts the beam - sometimes the plastic is not broken through

for these holes.

The neat thing about Plastmo is that

once the brackets and dropout are

attached, the gutter pieces snap into

place. Make sure that there is adequate

overlap of the gutter into the dropout

to allow for expansion and contraction

of the gutter material. Use PVC

cement (or silicone caulking) when

you snap on the end caps.

Once this is done, look at what you

have to do to get water from the

dropout down into the tank: use the

45 ̊ or 75 ̊ elbow and cut down pipe

as needed.

For big game tanks, mark a hole for

the downpipe where it will drain into a

tank and cut it with either a 2 1/2-inch

hole cutter or 1/4-inch drill, drilling

holes all the way around and then

knocking out the center.

Secure the dropout, elbow, pipe, and

downpipe joints with a single TEK

screw per joint.

Use a short piece of baling wire to hold

the pipe against the corner of the mouth

of the tank for small game tanks.

One last thing - cut a small rectangle

of 1/4-inch hardware cloth (galvanized

mesh) or preferably stainless steel mesh

(better from a maintenance standpoint) to fit over the hole in the center

drop, but under the lips of the gutter

pieces on both types of units to keep

debris (mostly bird droppings) from

clogging the plumbing. See the suppliers list for stainless steel mesh.

Because of expansion and contraction

from heat and cold, the gutter pieces

will occasionally work themselves

downhill so both pieces are actually

touching over the drain hole. Either

cut a triangular notch in both pieces,

or hold them apart with a small spacer

made from scrap.

When aprons are completed, remove

the gutters and rinse the aprons off

with the water in the cubitainers. This

rinse removes most of the metal shav-
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

23

ings created during installation of TEK

screws, which drill their own holes.

The gutters are the weakest link in

getting water into the tanks. Protect

them with several steel fence posts and

field fencing to keep large animals

away from them.

Note: Drawing not to scale.

 

Steel upright

10' gutter section

Apron

5' gutter section

Center drop

End cap

Tank

45 ̊ or 72 ̊ elbow

 Downpipe 10' long cut to fit

Use 8 brackets and 2 end caps per gutter assembly;

tank is buried, if possible, up to lid.

3/8" Bolts

Brackets

Front beam of apron

Tank lid

Figure 6. Carson City BLM game guzzler gutter details.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

24

Figure 7. Plastmo - Vinyl Gutters
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

25

Photo 10. Guzzler gutter parts, left to right: center drop; gutter bracket; pipe connector, 45 ̊

elbow; 75 ̊ elbow (“L”).

Photo 11. Guzzler gutter details: center drop and PVC gutter brackets are installed; pieces of the

snap-in gutter lie on apron.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

26

Fences

Table 2, Materials/Parts List for Big

Game Guzzler and Fence, includes parts

for a buck and rail fence and for a 4-5

strand barbed and smooth wire fence.

Buck and Rail Fence

We evolved to the buck and rail fence

in the Carson City District because of

the cattle and wild horses in the areas

where we construct the big game units

for desert bighorn sheep. Study Figure

8 and Photo 12 for construction

details.

One advantage of the buck and rail

fence is that no post holes have to be

dug. A disadvantage is the sheer bulk

of the wood posts and rails during

transport and the fact that they weigh

about 2 tons if you are using helicopter

transport.

For this fence, staple the barbed wire

just below the top rail to discourage

horses from trying to lift this rail with

their noses. (This uses about 320 feet of

the barbed wire, which is not included

in the materials list.) Also, be sure to

nail the 4-foot-long 2-by-4s to the

lower legs of the bucks so the bucks

won’t collapse.

Smooth Wire/4-5 Strand Barbed

Wire Fence

We have used standard BLM-spec

antelope “Type B” fences to protect

guzzlers in antelope areas where horses

are not a problem and for some small

game guzzlers. The fences around several antelope guzzlers are 300 feet on a

side, so that a minimum of two acres

was enclosed. Wires from ground level

up should measure 16-inch smooth,

then 22-, 30-, and 42-inch barbed. We

have found, however, that antelope will

use the much smaller buck and rail

fence and the same guzzlers where only

the drinkers are protected with welded

pipe fence.

In 1995, we used this same fence, only

much shorter, to protect bighorn units

where horses were not a problem. Wire

spacing there (Photo 13) is 20-35-39-

43 inches from the ground. The bottom

wire is smooth and the rest are barbed.

While these fences are anchored entirely

in the ground by standard 5 1/2-foot

“T” posts, and each of these must be

driven in by hand, the fences still go

up much faster than the buck-and-rail

types.

The smaller bulk of materials also

makes transporting much easier. Note

that we are using “EZ” panels for corners. These are easy to install and

appear to do the job adequately.

Small Game Guzzler Fence

Fencing is much simpler for small

game guzzlers. Where these have to be

protected from cows rubbing against

the apron or uprights, we simply have

stretched barbed wire around the

uprights and anchored the wire to

them. You can also use regular 3-post

corners (Or EZ panels) in either a

square or triangle configuration to

protect the small game units.

When the job is complete, police the

area for any litter and seed the area

inside the fence with native grass, forb,

and shrub species.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

27

Figure 8. Carson City BLM big game guzzler fence details, buck-and-rail type.

•

•

•

•

•

• •

•

 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Pattern for straight stretches of fence—alternating overlap of rails.

Pattern for curved sections of fence—top and bottom rails overlap on same buck.

Note: Use 11" lengths of all-thread for all pins,

plus 1/2" flat washers and nuts. Peen threads

once nuts are tightened so they won’t work loose

and off as posts dry and wind blows. Lock washers 

are not needed here. Smooth wire keeps most calves out;

barbed wire keeps horses from lifting rails. 2 x 4’s keep

buck legs from collapsing. Pre-drill holes in 2 x 4’s

so wood won’t split when driving spikes.

Rails are 16' long; bucks are on 7' centers. 

•

• •

16' wooden rail

5" x 6 1/2' wood post

All-thread

Rails

2"x4"x4'

x

Barbed wire

30"

20"

Note: Drawings not to scale.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

28

Photo 12. Completed big game guzzler in northern Nevada, consisting of water collecting

aprons, buried tanks, drinker surrounded by rocks, and buck-and-rail fence.

Photo 13. Barbed and smooth wire (bottom strand only) using steel “T” posts and “EZ” panel

corners. Rocks (piled or wired on) strengthen the corner.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

29

Loose Ends

Go back to the big game guzzler after

it rains or snows sufficiently. Open the

gate valve for the drinker and adjust

the float valve if there is one.

Some readers may question why we

use so many different parts for plumbing instead of using PVC stiff pipe and

fittings. Early use of PVC gave us

nothing but grief, and we went with

what we use now because individual

parts are easily replaced. Another reason for the many small parts is that

they are more easily carried into

remote guzzler sites than PVC pipe,

and many of the bighorn sheep units

are well away from roads.

Every part that is used in construction

of these guzzlers, large and small, is

“off-the-shelf” and may be purchased

or ordered from virtually anywhere.

Even the tanks and steel have at least

two suppliers each.

We are currently experimenting with

one antelope guzzler using all PVC

(underground). This is a site that we

can drive to.

The parts for an additional fiberglass

storage tank are as follows: one tank,

one bulkhead fastener, one 90 ̊ MIP,

one gate valve, one barbed “T” or “L,”

five or six stainless steel hose clamps,

two straight MIPs, one 36-inch piece

of sewer and drain pipe, one 4-inch

PVC cap, and several feet of Teflon

tape.

The parts needed for a stand-alone

single 16 foot x 16 foot apron are listed

in Table 1, except that a solid roof

replaces the open-end roof and walkdown ramp.

Comments on

Substitutions

DO NOT let a salesman tell you

that 26-gauge steel is equivalent to a

24-gauge steel. The difference in weightbearing capacity is approximately 

25 percent on the 8-foot lengths that

are used.

You can order the big game tank lids

just as they are shown in the construction drawings. Don’t let people sell you

lids that serve as catchment aprons

themselves.

The manhole covers are held in place

with 3 or 4 self-threading screws, not

8 or 10 nuts and bolts.

Plan adequate lead time when ordering

parts, especially steel and fiberglass.

Plan on six to eight week delivery

times for these and shorter times for

smaller parts. If anything has to go out

for bid, double the time. The best bet

is to order everything three months

prior to construction.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

30

Table 1. Materials/parts list for small game guzzler (800 gallon capacity) (2002).

Description Unit Cost Total Source

Quantity Cost*

Tank, fiberglass, 5’x10’x 2 1/2’ 1 each $1,000.00 $1,000.00 1, 2

with bolt-on lid, open at one

end, with manhole cover, plus

walk-down (roughened) ramp

“C” purlin (beam) steel, 8x3.5”x18” 5 each $60.00 $300.00 3

14 gauge, plain (“black”)

Roofdecking, steel, 24 gauge, 13 each $40.00 $520.00 3

32”x8”, tan, Source 3=7.2 supra rib

Plastmo raingutter 4”x10” (No.1) 2 each $2.96 $10.00 4

(Numbers are catalog numbers)

Plastmo downpipe, 2”x10” (No. 16) 1 each $5.87 $5.87 4

Plastmo Expansion Center Drop 1 each $3.38 $3.38 4

(No. 11)

Plastmo end caps (No. 8) 2 each $1.13 $2.26 4

Plastmo pipe joint (No. 2) 2 each $1.36 $2.72 4

Plastmo elbow 75 ̊ (No. 12) 1 each $2.50 $2.50 4

Plastmo PVC plastic bracket (No. 6) 8 each $1.56 $12.48 4

1/4” mesh stainless steel cloth 1 each $1.50 5

1–3”x7” piece

*Prices shown are representative for 2002. Tanks and steel purlins and roof decking are FOB the manufacturer.

REFER TO DRAWINGS FOR TANK SPECIFICATIONS

Sources are as follows:

1. Fiber Erectors 2. Fiberglass Structures Inc. 3. Big Red’s Creative Bldg. Systems 

P.O. Box 1009 119 South Washington Ave P.O. Box 265

Red Bluff, CA 96080 Laurel, MT 59044 Acampo, CA 95220

(916) 527-1515 (406) 628-8208 (209) 368-5182

FAX (916) 527-7755 FAX (406) 628-2482 FAX (209) 339-1929

Ed Stricker www.fiberglass-structures.com Cal Clark

4. Local plumbing suppliers or www.plastmo.com 5. Howard Wire Cloth Co.

28976 Hopkins St.

Hayward, CA 94545

(510) 887-8787

1-800-969-3559

FAX (510) 786-4167

www.howardwirecloth.com
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

31

Table 2. Materials/parts list for big game guzzler (4,000 gallon capacity) plus fence

(2002)

Description Unit Cost* Total Source

Quantity Cost*

Tank, fiberglass, 5’x10’ x 2 1/2’; with 5 each $1,000 $5,000 1, 2

bolt-on lid & no plumbing, but with 

manhole cover OR

Tank, Boss Polypropylene 16’ x 8’ x 2’ 2 each $3,400 $6,800 8

Flat Root, 1 piece, 2,000 gallon cap

Drinker, fiberglass, 36” x 72” x 30” 1 each $225.00 $225.00 2

“C” purlin (beam), steel, 8” x 3 1/2”x 18’ 23 each $63.36 $1457.28 3

14 gauge, plain (15 beams + 20 

uprights (minimum) + 1 spare)

Roofdecking, steel, 24 gauge, 36” x 8” 74 each $36.32 $2687.68 3

Source 3 = 7.2 supra-rib

Angle iron, steel, 1 1/2” x 1 1/2” x 8 30 ft. $1.10 $33.00 4

Buy in 10 ft. lengths, then cut

1 1/2” standard thread brass gate 6 each $36.74 $220.44 4

valve, Grinell 3000 or equiv.

90 ̊ plastic 1 1/2” barbed L 2 each $1.73 $3.46 4

(1 1/2 insert x 1 1/2 insert Poly 90)

1 1/2” barbed T 4 each $2.65 $10.60 4

(1 1/2 insert Poly T)

1 1/2” plastic bulkhead fastener 6 each* $8.99 $53.94 4

(1 1/2 PVC bulkhead)* for selfleveling system; 5 for float operated

system

1 1/2” MIP plastic barbed adapter 13 each* $0.87 $11.31 4

(1 1/2 MIP x insert poly adapter)

*10 for float operated system

4” x 10’ sewer & drain (S&D) pipe, 2 each $4.05 $8.10 4

non-perforated (solid)

4” S&D caps 6 each $0.66 $3.96 4

1 1/2” Black polypipe, 100 ft. roll 1 each $127.77 $127.77 4

IPS 100 lbs. Pressure, potable water

1 1/2” stainless steel hose clamps 50 each $0.90 $45.00 4

Teflon tape, 3/4” wide roll 2 each $2.50 $5.00 4
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

32

Table 2 (cont)

Description Unit Cost* Total Source

Quantity Cost*

Sprinker Key, 24” 1 each $3.00 $3.00 4

Silicone caulking, non-toxic (for 1 tube

aquariums) to fit regular (10 oz) $8.75 $8.75 5

caulking gun

Plastmo raingutter 4” x 10’ (No. 1) 8 each $2.96 $23.68 4

Plastmo downpipe, 2” x 10’ (No. 16) 4 each $5.87 $23.28 4

Plastmo Expansion center drop 4 each $3.38 $13.52 4

(No. 11)

Plastmo end caps (No. 8) 8 each $1.13 $9.04 4

Plastmo pipe joint (No. 2) 8 each $1.36 $10.88 4

Plastmo elbow 75 ̊ (No. 12) 4 each $2.50 $10.00 4

Plastmo PVC plastic bracket (No. 6) 34 each $1.56 $53.04 4

TEK Screws, #14 x 1’ sealer 300 each $160./M $48.00 4

Hex bolts, grade 2 plated steel, 65 each $15.00/C $10.00 4

3/8” x 1” x 16tpi

3/8” x 16 tpi nuts, plated steel 65 each $5.00/C $3.25 4

3/8” plated steel flat washers 130 each $0.05/C $6.50 4

3/8” plated steel lock washers 65 each $0.05 $3.25 4

10/32 x 1” machine screw with fender 8 units $1.00 $9.00 4

washer, lock washer, & nut

No. 12 x 3/4” sheet metal screws box of 100 $9.00 4

1/4” mesh stainless steel cloth 1 square ft. $2.00 7

(3, 3” x 7”

pieces)

Additional Parts Required For Float Operated System:

1 1/2” brass float valve with 18” rod, 1 each $85.00 $85.00 4

swivel and 6” copper float

(no plastic)

1 1/2” standard thread steel floor 2 each $5.00 $10.00 4

flange, 4 hole pattern
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

33

Table 2 (cont)

Description Unit Cost* Total Source

Quantity Cost*

1 1/2” x 3 1/2” steel nipple 1each $1.75 $1.75 4

5/16” x 18 x 1 1/2” stainless steel cap 5 each $8.00 4

screw, + 5/16” and 18 stainless steel

nut, + 5/16” s.s. lock washer, + 

5/16” s.s. flat washer (10)

1/8” – 1/4” steel plate to protect 1 each $15.00 $15.00 4

Buck And Rail Fence Parts:

Treated wood post, 6 1/2’ x 5-6” 92 each $5.00 $552.00 4

Rail, wood, 16’ x 3-4” 46 inch $7.50 $345.00 4

Drive Screw fence nails 2 bundle $6.00 $12.00 4

(50 nails 

each)

2” x 4” x 4’ wood 46 each $2.00 $92.00 4

All-thread, steel, 1/2” x 11” 150 each $0.80/ft $110.00 4

All-thread, steel, 1/2” x 13” 50 each $0.80 $44.00 4

Washer, flat, 1/2”, plated steel 400 each $0.12 $48.00 4

Nut, 1/2”, plated steel to fit all thread 400 each $0.13 $52.00 4

Fence staples 100 each $0.02 $2.00 4

All Steel Fence Parts:

Easy Fence panels/Grace Combinations 8 each $42.00 $336.00 6

Steel “T” post (need 5-6/corner, 24 each $2.75 $66.00 4

plus any line posts) (X) each $2.75 4

Barbed wire roll (= 1,320 ft. long) 1-4 rolls $33.00 $33.00 to 4

1-4 rolls $132.00

Fence clips (package of 50) 1-3 packs $1.50 $150 to 4

$4.50

Fens stays, 30” each $0.30 4

*Prices shown are representative for 2002. Tanks, steel purlins, and roofdecks are FOB the manufacturer.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

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Table 2 (cont)

REFER TO DRAWINGS FOR TANK AND STEEL SPECIFICATIONS

1. Fiber Erectors 2. Fiberglass Structures, Inc. 3. Big Red’s Creative Bldg.

P.O. Box 1009 119 South Washington Ave Systems

Red Bluff, CA 96080 Laurel, MT 59044 P.O. Box 265

(916) 527-1515 (406) 628-8208 Acampo, CA 95220

FAX (916) 527-7755 FAX (406) 628-2488 (209) 368-5182

Ed Stricker www.fiberglass-structures.com FAX (209) 339-1929

Cal Clark

4. Local plumbing, fastener, 5. GE (General Electric) 6. Easy Fence

and fencing suppliers such Caulking, #RTV108, form 408 South 900 West

as R Supply, Reno, NV. R.S. Hughes Blackfoot, ID 83221

P.O. Box 292933 (208) 782-1177

Sacramento, CA 95827 www.easyfence.com

(916) 737-7484

For nearest availability, call GE at

1-800-255-8886 and as for a technical rep

7. Howard Wire Cloth Co. 8. Boss Tanks

28976 Hopkins St. P.O. Box 5689

Hayward, CA 94545 Elko, NV 89802

(510) 887-8787 (775) 738-2677

FAX (510) 786-4167 FAX (775) 738-2367

1-800-969-3559 MOBILE (775) 777-5631

www.howardwirecloth.com www.bosstanks.com
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

35

Table 3. Equipment/tools checklist for guzzler and fence construction

1. 2 portable generators (powerful enough to run 2, 1/2-inch drills each, simultaneously - ours

are 18.5 amp, 2400 watt)

2. Backup generator

3. Extra gasoline (for generators and rock drill–4 gallons minimum)

4. Tarps (to put generators on when working to keep them out of the dirt–also to cover

equipment or volunteers if it rains or snows or if everything sits at a site for several weeks

between helicopter slinging and actual construction)

5. Small propane torch (preferably self-igniting with an extra gas bottle for heating polypipe)

6. 2 to 4, 1/2-inch variable speed (0-850 rpm) hand-held drills with reversing gear (We use 

4 Milwaukee 0234-1 as they are professional quality and last longer than Black and Decker,

etc. Not cheap, but worth it! You can also use 3/8-inch variable speed drills, Milwaukee 

0-288-1)

7. 2 drill bits each of the following: 3/16-inch, 1/4-inch, 3/8-inch. (We usually buy 1 of each

per job. The cobalt type is preferred because they last longest)

8. High speed (0-2500 rpm) screw gun (for installing TEK screws/apron to beam; we use a

Milwaukee 6798-1 with 3/8-inch magnetic socket)

9. 1, 2 3/8-inch hole cutter (for bulkhead fasteners/fiberglass tanks; fits any electric drill)

10. 1, 2 1/2-inch hole cutter (for draining gutters into tanks via Plastmo pipe; make sure it is

stout enough to cut through roof decking

11. Rechargeable 9.6 volt or greater 3/8-inch cordless drill with 2 each 1/4-inch and 5/16-inch

Apex heads (for plumbing and gutters)

12. 50-foot heavy duty extension cord - at least 1 per drill and screw gun. We use GFI (Ground

Fault Interrupter) cords, which automatically break the circuit if the drills short out. Each of

these will accommodate 2 drill/cord combinations.

13. Oilers for cooling the drill bits.

14. 1 quart of 10-30 weight oil (nothing thicker) for oilers

15. 2 pair, 4-inch channel lock pliers (for plumbing)

16. Hacksaw (for cutting Plastmo gutter and tubing; a 24 tooth/inch blade is adequate)

17. 6, 5-gallon cubitainers filled with water (for drinking and washing the apron - more if you

wish)

18. Caulking gun (for silicone caulking)

19. Chalk line (for marking TEK screw locations on the apron and gutter locations on the front

beam of each apron)
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

36

Table 3. (cont)

20. 1, 25-foot steel tape

21. 3, 50-foot cloth tapes

22. 3/8-inch drive ratchet with 2-inch extension and the following sockets: 3/4-inch deepset

(for 1/2-inch fence nuts); 9/16-inch (for 3/8-inch stock for apron supports); 1/2 -inch (for

5/16-inch cap screws and nuts on drinker flanges when a float valve is used) (Get two of

everything)

23. Open end/box combination wrenches in 9/16-inch, 3/4-inch and 7/16-inch (to complement

ratchets and sockets)

24. Large C-clamps, 10-inch size, minimum of 2 but preferably 6 (for holding horizontal beams

prior to drilling)

25. 36-inch level (for hole and apron)

26. 3 claw hammers

27. A center punch

28. 1 to 2 properly fitting screwdrivers (for machine screws and stainless steel hose clamps;

check clamps - they may require a socket or nut driver instead)

29. 2, 5/16-inch nut drivers (better than screwdrivers for hose clamps)

30. 6 to 8 shovels (for digging)

31. 1 to 2 flat shovels (for hole leveling)

32. 1 to 2 Pulaskis (for brush clearing and trenching)

33. A pick for trenching

34. 1 to 2 McLeods (combination heavy-duty 

rake/hoe; for hole smoothing)

35. 1 rake (for hole smoothing)

36. A 4-foot piece of a 2 by 4 (for hole leveling)

37. 2-4 Pry bars/tampers (for upright; holes/rocks)

38. Vise grips/crescent wrench

39. Heavy gloves (for all personnel)

40. Plastic goggles (as needed)

41. 1, 20-man first aid kit
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

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Table 3. (cont)

42. 24- or 30- inch lawn sprinkler tool (for opening and closing gate valves - leave this at the

site tucked up into the backside of one of the front beams)

43. Tin snips (for cutting galvanized or steel hardware cloth)

44. Fiberglass repair kit including file (for repairing fiberglass tanks/drinker if necessary)

45. 2 to 3 pairs of fencing pliers

46. 2, 12-inch x 9/16-inch drill bits (for wood posts in wooden fences only)

47. 2 to 3 clam shell post hole diggers (for upland game guzzler fence posts and apron

uprights)

48. Steel post drivers (for steel post and wire fences)

49. A bow saw for wooden fences

50. Cold chisel (to peen threads on all-thread after nuts are installed on wood fences)

51. Chisel (in case all-thread pieces are too short or the wood is too thick)

52. Post level (4-6)

53. Heavy twine and 4 steel rebar pins, 18-24-inches long for laying out storage tank hole

and/or apron boundaries

54. 2 wide-tipped and 2 fine-tipped black felt tip pens for marking holes (for gutters)

55. 50 or so disposable drinking cups

OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT:

1. Gasoline-powered auger (for post holes, upright holes, blasting, etc)

2. Rock drill (Pionjar/Wacker - for drilling blasting holes and the trench for plumbing on big

game guzzlers, if necessary; plus tough holes for uprights)

3. Backhoe (either rubber tired or tracked)

4. Bobcat earthmover with front-end loader and power auger (Both have been worth their

weight in gold at tough digging sites)
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

38

Table 4. Big game guzzler general checklist

1. Job folder and checklist completed prior to construction

2. Notification: construction date(s) and maps to constituent groups, volunteers, and 

individuals, prepared/mailed/delivered

3. Signs; steel posts/post pounder/duct tape/yellow flagging/paper plates/wide felt-tip pens

4. Working drawings/spec sheets: three copies minimum to job site

5. Lists: parts/tools

6. Helicopter operation: OAS 23s/manifest pad/load calc pad/weight

sheet/nets/sling/swivels/lead lines/duct tape/paracord/knives

7. Volunteers: clipboards/pens/forms - group, individual, under 18, Office of Workmen’s

Compensation (OWCP)

8. Liquids: cups/water/pop/Gatorade/ice/ice chests

9. Shade: tarps/paracord/tent stakes/trucks

10. Oil for oilers

11. Chalk in chalklines/fine felt-tip pens for marking gutter bracket holes

12. Rock drill: oil/gasoline/filters/spare spark plugs with tool

13. Generators: service timely/make sure they work/fuel

14. Backhoe: fuel/oil/hydraulic fluid

15. Parts and tools: count out/package/weigh (if helicopter operation)

16. Drill bits (buy one set per job): 3/16-, 1/4-, and 3/8-inch colbalt (two of each)

17. Fiberglass repair kit: full/replenished

18. First aid kit: full/replenished

19. Trucks: arrange for/load/drive to site (enough qualified drivers)/unload/cinch straps or

chains

20. Four wood laths marked with wire spacing by species (antelope or bighorn) for fences.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

39

Table 4. (cont)

21. Wire holder/axle for barbed and smooth wire spools

22. Carriage bolts: 5/16- x 3- or 3 1/2-inch with flat washers and nuts for tank lids

23. Sign for the project if someone paid to name it

24. BLM project marker

25. Seed: grass/forb/shrub

26. Make sure all job parts make it to the job site and that they are loaded on the trucks; have

somebody else go through the parts list checking them off

27. Thank you letters as soon as possible after job completion

28. Finish job folder: write recap/as built drawings/final dollars spent/dollar value of effort from

all entities
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

40 Specification drawing 1.

5'-8" 4"

3" 3"

4"

10'-0"

10'-6"

Ramp

4" 4"

3" 3"

4'-4"

5'-0"

5'-6"

Ramp

" 8 2'-6" 

Access opening

18" Manhole and dust cover

Stiffeners, 5 @ 2'-4" O.C.

2"

Fasten lid w/ 5/16" steel bolts, nuts and washers

SIDE VIEW END VIEW

WATER STORAGE TANK — SMALL GAME GUZZLER

Carson City BLM District

Note: 1) Fiberglass construction minimum 3/16" thickness 2) Approx. volume: 750 Gal. @ 2'-2" depth 3) All fiberglass parts constructed with Esopolyester Resin (non-toxic)

4) Color is Desert Tan

 5) Drawing not to scale 

6" Rad. Typ.

10 1/2"

4"

2" Rad. Typ.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

41

Specification drawing 2.

3"

Cover

Cover stiffener

Rim stiffener

Tank wall 3/16" thickness (min.)

3"

1/2"Typ. all fasteningsDrill 5/16" Dia. for 1/4"steel bolts and nuts

Cover stiffener, 2" Dia.

1 1/2" Dia. Rim stiffener allaround, glass over

3/16" Thick fiberglass cover

Ramp

Access opening

8"

TANK AND COVER CORNER DETAILS

SMALL GAME GUZZLERS

Note: 1) Material around which the rim stiffener is formed  shall be at the contractor’s discretion. 2) Drawing not to scale
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

42

Specification drawing 3.

TANK COVER DETAILS

Manhole and Dust Cover

3" Typ. 1/2" Typ. 3"

6"Rad. Typ.

" 2/ 6 1 " /2 26 1 /2" 26 1 6 1/2"

6" '- 5

10'-6"

18"

Drill 5/16" holes, 15" O.C., both ends Drill 5/16" holes, 12" O.C., both sides

Note: 1) Drill tank and cover to match

 2) Drawing not to scale

Access opening

MANHOLE COVER

TOP VIEW OF TANK

SMALL GAME GUZZLER

18"

1"

1 1/2"

3/16"

18 1/2"
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

43

Specification drawing 4.

B

B

A

A

" 3 " 26 1/2 " /2 1 62 " 3

" 11'- 4

5/16" hole

" 11'- 4

1" Dia. drain holes

c

L

4" 6" 6" 4"

" /2 5 1 1'- 1'-0" 1'-0" " /2 5 1 1'-

6'-0"

6"

3"

PLAN

Note: 1) Plan dimensions of ramp are approximate only. Ramp to fit shell of tank snugly when in place. 2) Drawing not to scale

SEC. A-A

3"

6'-0"

2" Dia. 1/2 roundstiffeners

Non-skid surface

24 ̊

SEC. B-B

2" Dia. 1/2 roundstiffeners

Non-skid surface

RAMP DETAILS

Carson City BLM District
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

44 Specification drawing 5.

4"

3" 3"

4"

10'-0"

10'-6"

4" 4"

3" 3"

4'-4"

5'-0"

5'-6"

" 8 2'-6" 

18" Manhole and dust cover

Stiffeners, 5 @ 1'-9" O.C.

Fasten lid w/ 5/16" steel bolts, nuts and washers

SIDE VIEW END VIEW

WATER STORAGE TANK 

— BIG GAME GUZZLER

Carson City BLM District

Note: 1) Fiberglass construction minimum 3/16" thickness 2) Approx. volume: 750 Gal. @ 2'-2" depth 3) All fiberglass parts constructed with Esopolyester Resin (non-toxic)

4) Color is Desert Tan

 5) Drawing not to scale 

6" Rad. Typ.

10 1/2"

6" Rad. Typ.

4"

2"Rad. Typ.

Same specs as other end
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

45

Specification drawing 6.

72"

36"

30"

2"

6"

 WALK-DOWN DRINKER

Note: 1) Wall thickness is 3/16" to 1/4"

 2) Use esopolyester resin (non-toxic)

 3) Color is Desert Tan

 4) Drawing not to scale

Non-skid surface

WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

47

Chapter 3-Southern

Nevada Water

Catchment Guidelines

Slickrock and

Hypalon Guzzlers

The current emphasis in southern

Nevada is on “slickrock” collection

surfaces feeding storage tanks and

drinkers, or artificial aprons (hypalon)

placed at ground level (Also see

Appendix A). A slickrock or hypalon

unit consists of the apron (collection

surface), which drains to a dam or

sump (collection point), from which

water is piped to tanks. The tanks store

water for use at a float-valve operated

or self-leveling drinker.

Flexibility in the design, materials

used, and construction are a necessity.

Too often, a certain type of water

development is forced into an inappropriate location and fails. Projects

should be adapted to each site. For

example, we try to use slickrock when

it is available, but sometimes other

considerations determine the project

location. After evaluating the slickrock

surfaces in the area, it is sometimes

determined that there are not any

adequate slickrocks in the desired distribution. In such cases, an artificial

collection surface or apron is utilized.

This apron option can be a necessity

when construction and maintenance

efforts negate the use of a slickrock

site.

This chapter covers site selection considerations, descriptions of the slickrock and hypalon collection surfaces,

all aspects of the construction process,

and observations throughout on the

problems encountered during the planning and construction stages. Though

the options and trade-offs involved in

project site selection and construction

may sometimes appear contradictory,

the water development process is often

a series of compromises to fit varying

situations.

Site Selection

Water catchments should be located in

the best possible habitat for the target

species. For example, desert bighorn

sheep depend heavily upon their vision

for protection; they prefer open water

holes. Locating the drinker near brush

or even too close to the tanks may

provide cover for predators. Likewise,

projects built in totally flat terrain

negate the bighorn’s ability to use cliffs

and ledges defensively. Placing a project

in or adjacent to precipitous escape

terrain enhances the attractiveness of

the unit to bighorn. The special traits

or behavioral quirks or each species

should always be considered.

The seasonal distributions and use

patterns of the different sexes are very
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

48

important. If water is placed in an area

utilized exclusively by rams, do not

expect to make a real impact on desert

sheep in the area. The breeding season

starts mid to late summer. During half

the summer, the rams will not be in

the habitat the ewes prefer. And, to

expand the population, you have to

key in on the ewes.

Total water needs are very important.

Bighorns need 1 gallon of water per

animal per day for each day of 100 ̊ F.

Water catchments should be able to

maintain at least 50 bighorns per unit,

with additional storage for times of

drought. Experience has shown that a

storage capacity of 6,500 to 7,000 gallons per unit is usually adequate. Some

of the earlier units ranged in capacity

from between 3,200 to 50,000 gallons.

Spacing is very important. Bighorns

seldom range more than 2 miles from

water in mid-summer. In southern

Nevada, units should be clustered in

pairs or triads between 1 1/2 to 2 miles

apart, with the clusters no more than

5 to 6 miles apart. The units should

not be visible from existing roads, but

can be placed close enough so that

water can be pumped to them in case

they dry out.

Anticipated use by all wildlife should

be considered when selecting a site

for the water development. Projects

located at the range overlap between

bighorns and deer habitat should take

into account the higher water

requirement of the deer.

Collection Surfaces

Slickrock

Slickrock is named for its bare-rock

collection surface. This term most

properly describes the vast, smooth

sandstone canyons of Utah. Since

sandstone formations are uncommon

throughout much of Nevada, the

harder limestone and volcanic rock

formations are used for slickrock developments. You can usually find the

larger surfaces in limestone and thus

it is the commonly used surface. The

right drainage in volcanic rock when

available, however, can be superb. The

surrounding soils can absorb water and

release it slowly over several days.

Drainages are often scoured smooth

by eons of sediment-laden runoff.

Mountainside drainages are most often

used. A sloping rock sheet can be

exploited, but there is usually a problem

finding a collection point (dam site).

When selecting slickrock, look for

evidence of good flows down the

drainage. Persistent cutting along the

sides can be an indicator. Rock surfaces

polished smooth by water, sand, and

gravel can indicate a good drainage.

However, many of these sites have

resulted from eons of scouring and

only collect adequate water during

intense storms. Black streaking (algae)

in the wash bottom indicates a surface

that runs or sweeps water for long

periods after rainfall. The ideal way to

evaluate the potential of slickrock is to

be at the site during or just after a rain.

Many of the rock surfaces are laced

with cracks. This isn’t always bad.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

49

Where there is fracturing, drainage

works best when the upper surfaces or

slabs overlap the lower sections, much

like roof shingles.

When cracks run lengthwise down the

drainage, they can drain the flow, particularly behind the dam. At the Big

Devil and Tungsten Projects, the angle

of cracks slowed and drained the

runoff. The fracturing of the rocks ran

vertical or against the direction of flow.

At every point, the water was slowed

by a lip of rock; it dissipated into the

cracks. The surface can be sealed, but

costs are usually prohibitive if the

entire slickrock needs sealing.

The surface slope is important on all

slickrocks. Steep slopes get the water

to the dam quicker. This may not be

desired with a low dam as water will be

lost over the dam. However, you will

need a good slope to capture the light

rains, which a flatter surface may

absorb.

If the slope is around 30 ̊ or greater,

the water gets to the dam quickly,

moving over the cracks with less loss.

This can be counted on only with

moderate to heavy rains. The bulk of

the Mojave rains are light and will be

lost to the cracks.

Slickrock projects need as large a collection surface as possible. An entire

mountainside drainage would work

best in the right conditions. Yet, main

washes are usually avoided. While they

are subject to flooding (good), they

often have high debris loads (bad).

Debris can clog a dam and reduce the

volume of short duration water storage.

Main washes rarely have solid bottoms

to construct a dam upon. For slickrocks,

secondary washes are preferred.

Try to utilize slickrocks with a minimum

of 15,000 square feet of surface area

(about 1/3 acre). This collection surface should fill a 6,900 gallon project

on 3/4 inches of rainfall.

Select the smallest, most efficient dam

site possible. It is easier to work with

single width 4-foot x 8-foot sheets of

plywood and you save on costs (materials

and helicopter time/sling loads).

When locating a site for the dam,

consider the volume of water than can

be stored behind the dam. Sudden

thunderstorms are a great opportunity

to collect water. Almost any dam will

fill more quickly than the screened

pipes can siphon off the water. At some

point, you will lose water over the dam.

Allow for storage capacity and you can

collect several hundred to a thousand

more gallons of water.

Development sites are generally selected

in the middle to upper elevations. The

further up the drainage the dam is

placed, the less debris should gather in

the runoff. So the need for vast collection areas must be weighed against the

drainage’s potential loads of trash. If

the drainage carries much rock, sand,

gravel and vegetative debris, you may

have to occasionally shovel a lot of

junk from behind the dam. As a counterpoint to creating storage capacity

behind the dam, don’t build the dam

to hold any more debris than you want

to clean out. Gabions (rock-filled wire

baskets) can be built above the dam to

hold up debris, but these are only

effective if they are cleaned out regularly.

Even clean rock surfaces with extensive

debris (i.e., dirt, rocks, leaves), above

the dam could be a problem. Animals

using the project will create trailing,

which could loosen debris.

Helpful Hint

Using the middle to upper

elevations in bighorn 

habitat is usually sufficient

to deter use by feral or

domestic livestock.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

50

Ideally, the slickrock should have a

clean (bare rock) surface. Drainage

with dirt and sand bottoms can absorb

water and hide cracks that could drain

water before it reaches the dam.

Brushy vegetation usually requires

extensive, deep root systems and may

also indicate the presence of cracks in

wash bottoms.

The biggest advantage of slickrock

projects is the lower cost. Slickrock

dam material costs are one tenth the

cost of a hypalon apron. While the

apron project requires fewer sling loads

(2 to 10), factoring in helicopter

expenses raises the cost of slickrock to

slightly less than half that of hypalon.

Personnel requirements are roughly the

same for both projects.

Low maintenance, potentially huge

collection surfaces, and apron replacement costs are important factors in

selecting slickrock. Slickrock collection

surfaces are natural. Dams are generally small. They are aesthetically the best

alternative to natural water sources.

Slickrock surfaces are not as efficient in

light rains as man-made aprons. The

rock will absorb some water before it

sheds the runoff. You can compensate

by using much larger slickrock surfaces, collecting more during the substantial rains.

Small game slickrock projects should

also be strongly considered. While it

would be critical to protect the tops of

the tanks from larger animals, the

compactness and unobtrusiveness lends

itself well to this application. Small,

low elevation slickrocks seem to be

more prevalent especially when you are

looking for large surfaces in the upper

elevations.

Tarp Aprons

It is easier to find a good project site

for a tarp apron than to locate a slickrock project. On a one-to-one basis,

plasticized or rubberized tarps are

much more efficient at water collection

than natural surfaces.

Tarp aprons are usually conspicuous

unless they are placed in a bowl or

within a canyon. Their sharp outline

is sometimes distracting. Sunlight

reflection is a problem, especially in

wilderness or wilderness study areas.

Aging processes also reduce the life of

tarp aprons. Weakening occurs more

rapidly around edges and damaged

places in the material. More maintenance is required for tarps than slickrock or metal aprons, but repairs are

often simple.

The preferred apron material in southern Nevada is hypalon. The material

consists of rubberized mat layers reinforced by a nylon webbing. The more

suitable thickness for our uses are the

.45 mil and .60 mil.

Hypalon lays flat on the ground and is

flexible. It can be cut and glued to fit

around obstacles. Customizing the

shape of the apron increases the time

and effort; therefore it is rarely done.

The cost of a hypalon collection area is

roughly twice the cost of a dam. While

the hypalon is a more efficient surface,

it is usually limited in size by cost and

the availability of an adequate site and

workforce.

The hypalon length and width can be

varied according to need. It is often,

but not always, available in various

colors: black, white, tan, and gray.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

51

Black is most readily available. Tan is

most often utilized on desert sheep

projects. Gray has been found to be

the best overall color. The panels are

reversible, providing a choice. You may

be able to order specific color combinations (e.g., tan/black, tan/white,

tan/gray).

Hypalon is heavy and can be difficult

to move on site. A .45 mil. material

weighs .29 pounds per square foot. A

75-1/2 foot x 42-foot section weighs

920 pounds. Practically, the apron

must be ordered in two sections to stay

within the maximum lifting capacity

of the commonly used Bell Jet Ranger

helicopter. Make sure when you order

the apron to specify that the sections

are to be boxed and bound separately

to a wooden pallet for transport.

PHE liner, produced by Gundle, is

another common apron material used

in southern Nevada. It is often used by

mining companies. It is both heavier

and more rigid than hypalon. Sealing

two pieces together requires a specialized machine, making PHE more 

difficult to install and repair.

Construction

General Comments

On every project, supply the crew with

working diagrams; have them note

anything that is altered, added, or

deleted. You can use the diagrams to

note any changes and then render

finished or “as-built” drawings.

Documenting this information will

facilitate future repair and maintenance

procedures.

Provide the construction crew with

extra pipe, plumbing parts, and other

materials. (See Table 1, Sources for

Water Development Materials, at end of

chapter). If you need three, 2-inch

galvanized 90 ̊ elbows to build the

project, add one or two more. A pipe

might have a burr in the threads and it

would be simpler to switch parts. Also,

supply materials that might be needed

to make adaptations or alterations;

something always comes up. You can

develop this supplemental list through

experience and familiarity with the

project site.

Slickrock Dam Construction

Use 60-pound sacks of premix concrete

on the dam and around the drinker.

It’s easier to move the 60-pound than

the 90-pound Portland (Type I-II) and

you don’t have to find a supply of

quality sand or gravel. Each sack produces half a cubic foot of concrete.

Determine your needs by measuring

the size of the dam. The average dam

is 10 inches to 12 inches wide and 

3 1/2 feet high. A 3 foot x 10 foot x 1

foot wide V-shaped or U-shaped dam

usually requires 50 sacks. A 4 foot x 12

foot x 1 foot wide dam uses 70 sacks.

Add about 5 to 10 bags to the total

account for miscalculations and any

bags broken during sling work.

You need slightly more than 1 gallon

of water per sack of premix. The metal

55-gallon barrels we use weigh 440

pounds (within the lifting capability of

the Jet Rangers.) You can weld special

hoods for slinging or put it in a net,

but looping a sling strap around the

barrel works find if it has ribs. Haul an

extra barrel of water to the staging area

for a backup. Remember to loosen the

2-inch plug on the barrel top before

Helpful Hint

On the northern edges of

the Mojave Desert and into

the Great Basin, rabbits

have caused a problem

with hypalon aprons. The

rodents chew on the edges

or folds in the material,

creating holes and tears.

The holes can be easily

patched with adhesive and

hypalon scraps. In one

case, the patches were

pulled off by ravens. The

rabbit problem was solved

using chicken wire around

the bottom of the unit’s

protective fence.

Two lessons were learned:

The material needs to be

pulled as tight as possible

during installation allowing

for expansion and 

contraction, and healthy

rabbit/rodent populations

may preclude the use of a

hypalon in some situations.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

52

using the 3/4-inch spigot. If you do

not allow air to displace the draining

water, the vacuum will slowly collapse

the barrel.

We use a 1/3-yard electric mixer with a

gas-powered engine. It is easily slung

and can be moved over uneven ground

by four people at the site by tying a 2

by 4 to either side. Sling the mixer to a

spot near the dam. You can rarely pour

from the mixer into the dam forms.

Pour the cement into 5-gallon buckets,

then pour into the forms. Set the

water above the cement and mixer

using a 50- or 100-foot garden hose to

get water to the mixing site. Just in

case, have an extra 5 to 10, 5-gallon

buckets for hauling water, rocks, and

sand.

Any dirt and brush at the dam site

should be cleared to make sure the

bottom is solid. Arizona uses a sealant

to seal the dam and create tinajas (See

Appendix B, Lasting Waters for Bighorn

by Robert S. Gray). 

One inch and 1/2-inch steel reinforcing bar (rebar) is installed in the rock

in holes drilled with a roto-hammer.

(The Milwaukee brand roto-hammer

needs at least a 1200 watt generator).

Rebar can be bought in lengths of up

to 20 feet cut to your specifications.

Rebar loads should be wrapped tightly

when slung. Two equal length straps

are wrapped around opposite ends of

the longer lengths of rebar. Bundles of

the shorter length rebar are tie-wired

to the longer lengths near the ends.

Place at least one sling strap over the

smaller bundles to keep them in place.

Anchor the rebar in solid rock. One,

1-inch rebar is set horizontally, an inch

from the top of the dam. Another 

1-inch horizontal can be placed below

that. One-inch uprights are spaced

every 2 to 3 feet from the middle and

1/2-inch rebar is spaced every 12 inches.

Order lengths accordingly, but if a few

1/2-inch pieces are slightly long, they

can be bent to fit.

The dam is formed with plywood

sheets, 1/2-or 5/8-inch x 4-feet x 8-feet

(Figure 1). Five-ply is stronger than

three-ply. The plywood is scribed along

the bottom edge to fit the contour of

the wash bottom. To do this, hold the

plywood up to the top level of the

dam. Using a tape measure, measure

the height of the dam straight up from

points along the bottom, 4 to 6 inches

apart. For example, if the dam will be

3 feet high, the plywood is held 3 feet

above the lowest point. Then the plywood is marked 3 feet straight above

each point. A small chain saw or sabre

saw is used to cut the plywood.

Cut two 2-inch slots in the plywood

5 to 12 inches apart and up 4 to 5

inches from the lowest point. Line the

slots up on each form. These are for

the galvanized pipe that runs through

the dam. You can use a 2 3/8-inch hole

saw to cut the holes for the pipe, but it

makes stripping the forms very difficult.

It is easier to cut slots and use plywood

scraps and wood screws to block the

slot below the pipes. When both plywood forms are cut, put them in place

about a foot apart. Using a 3/8-inch x

12-inch drill bit, drill holes through

both forms. The face of one plywood

sheet needs six to eight evenly spaced

holes. Try to locate holes so that the

bit passes close to the upright rebar.

Insert the 1/4-inch x 14-inch allthread

pieces. There should be a nut holding

a 1/4-inch x 1 1/2 inch fender washed

At the Jerry (Hughes)

Project in the Muddy

Mountains, there was no

room to set the mixer

down near the dam. A

sheet metal tube was made

for the project. Cement

was poured into a funnel,

down the tube, and into

the dam form.

At the Patches Project

in the Spotted Range,

the mixer could only be

placed at the bottom of a

dry falls, 35 feet below the

dam. The crew formed a

bucket brigade to get the

cement to the dam. For

safety, a rope was attached

to each bucket and was

hauled in by the dam crew.

If someone lost their grip,

the dam crew would keep

it from falling on anyone

below. The rope also

allowed the dam crew to

lower the buckets directly

to the mixer.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

53

against each of the interior faces.

(Figure 2). A nut and fender washer on

the outside holds the plywood 8 to 10

inches apart. A 4-foot x 8-foot dam

would require six to eight allthread

assemblies to separate the forms. Use

tie wire to tie the allthread to the rebar.

The allthread assembly works well on

small structures. If you are familiar

with heavier construction techniques,

using snap-ties and shoes is impractical

because of the expense and weight. If

you have to wait for the dam to set

and then hike to the site to haul the

shoes out, you’ll only do it once (See

Appendix B).

Insert the two 2-inch x 30-inch galvanized, male-threaded pipes through the

slots at the bottom. Attach the

Johnson filtration screens to the

upstream side of the pipes. Attach the

PVC (Driscopipe) pipe to the downstream ends of the pipes with couplers

and barb adapters. If you anticipate

high debris loads, you might want to

use a 90 ̊ elbow to angle the screen

straight up. This screen should collect

well enough as debris rises behind the

dam.

When the screens are set, wire the

pipes to the rebar in the dam. Make

sure the screens themselves are not

wedged against the rocks or each other.

(You may need to remove them at

some later date.) Put a small rock or

wood under the screens to hold them

off of the bottom.

Figure 1. Dam design and materials.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

54

Figure 2. Allthread assembly.

Put rocks into the form to take up

space and stretch the cement supply.

Do not forget to mix in mortar dye to

simulate the color of the surrounding

rock. You can also inlay the face of the

dam with rocks to make it blend in

with the surroundings. Usually, the

forms are tapped with a hammer to

vibrate out air pockets that might leave

weak spots. Do not pound the downstream side of the dam that you faced

with rocks, or the rocks will sink back

into the cement. Gather the cement

bags off to the side or above the dam

and weight the pile with rocks.

If you use excess cement to fill in

behind the dam, protect the screens

and don’t let the cement wedge the

screens in place. It is best to have the

screens sit in a slight depression. Try to

pour cement against the plywood or it

will be hard to remove the form. You

will need a wood chisel and hammer

to break it loose. Surplus cement can

also be used to create a curb which

directs more runoff behind the dam.

To remove the forms, bring along a

7/16-inch combo wrench, crowbar,

and vicegrips. Back the nuts on the

outside of the forms off about a 1/4-

inch. Clamp the vice grips onto the

allthread and wiggle it up and down

until it breaks off next to the form. Pry

the form away from the dam. Any

allthread that sticks out should be

hammered down. Save the 1/4-inch

nuts and fender washers. You can use

them many times over.

Hypalon Apron Construction

The aprons for the standard desert

bighorn sheep projects (6,900 gallon

storage capacity) are purchased in two

sections for weight and handling considerations as noted earlier. Around the

yard, you can load the pallets with a

forklift or four strong people. In the

field, the pallets can be unloaded from

truck or trailer by one person with a

digging bar. If you load the trailer right

and have something to tie-off to, you

can drive out from under the load. Even

if this breaks the bands around the

box, the sling straps will hold the load

together when you sling it to the site.

The 37 3/4-foot x 40-foot panels do

not translate to a 75 1/2-foot x 40-foot

collection surface. The pieces are overlapped by 1 to 2 feet and the perimeter

berms eat up more material. The finished product averages 65 feet x 35

feet or 2,275 square feet of effective

surface (15 percent of the target surface

area for a slickrock). This translates to

1,417.3 gallons of water per inch of

Helpful Hint

Occasionally, the screens

are set too high. In some

cases, up to 100 gallons

must collect behind the

dam before it starts

through the screens. You

can take up space below

the screens by filling in with

rocks. This will displace

some of the “wasted”

water. Creative cement

work is most helpful in

correcting this problem.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

55

rain. An apron this size requires 4.86

inches of precipitation to fill a 6,900

gallon project.

Locate the apron on a relatively flat

area. You need some slope, but the

more the surface is tilted, the less

horizontal exposure you have. There

should be few rocks on the apron site

itself, but you will need a supply of

large rocks to place on the apron at the

end of the installation. Rocks found on

the apron site must be removed, broken, or covered with dirt to prevent

them from puncturing the material.

Lay out the apron area so that the

lowest point or corner is closest to the

tanks. You can place the low point

anywhere along the edge, but the corners are the most convenient. Clear a

60 foot x 30 foot area. Pull rocks and

dirt downhill to create the lower berms

or “V” where the water will be collected

(Figure 3). The collection corner

should be more rounded than the

others. The low point and berms will

take up more material to cover the low

point and berms pulling in hypalon

from the corner.

Form a well or basin at the collection

point; the berm should be at least 2 feet

above the lowest apron point. You will

need some storage capacity for the

intense showers. The greater the slope

of the apron, the larger the well must be.

Pull out one apron section and lay it in

place on the lower end, making sure

that the well and berm are covered.

Make any adjustments. Set the second

section out with 12 to 18 inches of

overlap, uphill over downhill.

With the downhill berms set and covered, the crew can now lay the uphill

apron edges back and clear any more

Bare #1

Despite 3 years of good

rainfall, Bare #1 has not

filled. The steep slope

reduces the horizontal 

surface area. The slope also

prevented a large well from

being built. The intense

storms overfill the well

and much water is lost.

brush, making low berms for the uphill

sides. If your apron is on a hillside, you

may want to cut drainage trenches to

keep runoff from cutting your apron.

When projects are built in the winter,

never sling the hypalon adhesive to the

project site ahead of time. Cold adhesive is hard to work with. It is about

the same as spreading cold tar. Keep it

warm until it goes up to the project

site and keep it as warm as possible

until you need it. You can use a heat

gun or blowdryer to warm the closed

can. Never use a flame because of the

flammable nature of the adhesive.

Always check the adhesive before the

project, regardless of when the can

arrived from the manufacturer. If the

temperature is warm and the adhesive

is still thick, the trichloroethylene

(TCE) has evaporated. You can add

TCE, which happens to be the

hypalon solvent you use. Do not

“water” the adhesive down too much;

it has to stay where you brush it on

and you don’t want it to take forever to

dry. Be careful, TCE is classified as a

hazardous chemical.

While the berms are being finished,

start gluing the apron pieces together.

Clean the surfaces to be glued with a

rag and hypalon solvent. The solvent

removes a protective film and yields a

proper surface for bonding. Start in the

middle of the seam and work outward.

This helps keep the seam flat and even.

Work slow to get a good, sealed seam.

Apply the adhesive in only 12- to 

18-inch sections at a time (varies with

temperature) or the adhesive will dry

too fast. Apply the adhesive with a 

4-inch paintbrush. Use a linoleum

roller to press the pieces together and

to work out any air pockets or bumps.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

56

It can help to put a flat surface under

the section you are working on; you

can use the cardboard from the apron

sections packaging.

After the seam is completed, pull the

materials as tight as possible. Make

sure it doesn’t catch on a rock. Trench

around the outside of the berms and

lay the edges in the furrow. After the

gluing and pipe fitting are finished, use

rocks and dirt to bury the apron edges.

At the collection well, pull the apron

back over the berm. Bring the two 

2-inch polypipes through the berm at

the lowest location. The pipe should

come through the material just above

the lowest point of the apron or the

Johnson filtration screens will stick up

at odd angles. You could get them to

lay flat with a 2-inch, 45 ̊ or 90 ̊

elbow. Try to keep at least one screen

flat and straight. This allows for the

greatest flow down the pipe and

decreases the chance of any backup.

Mark the apron material 2 to 4 inches

above the lowest point and cut two

circles or “Xs” in the apron material at

least 1 foot apart. The spacing allows

room for the hypalon pipe boots to be

installed. Pull the pipes through the

material and lay the apron over the

berm.

Figure 3. Badger apron water development; example of a hypalon apron setup.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

57

A 2-inch, 90 ̊ hypalon pipe boot fits

over each pipe like a sleeve with a

square base that is glued to the apron.

Slide the boot on, then attach the

galvanized barb adapter and Johnson

screens to the pipe. Use a tube of silicone caulk to form a plug or gasket

around the pipe on both sides of the

apron material. If the boot comes

unglued or leaks, the plug will stop or

retard water from steeping out here.

Do not try to use silicone caulk as

adhesive; it is not designed for this use.

Glue the boot base to the apron and

clamp the boot sleeve around the pipe

with two #36 or #40 hose clamps. Be

careful not to heat the pipe boot

sleeve; it will melt.

Put rocks on the apron to keep the

wind from pulling the apron and to

break up the solid color. Try to cover

the whole apron.

Some tarp-type aprons utilize a metal

sump box to collect the water. These

boxes have a number of problems; they

become rusty and messy over time, the

sump is hard to mate with the apron

material, water is lost when the sump

overfills, and there is a problem if the

overflow erodes the berm. To help

with this problem at Big Bertha, the

Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn

organization made a hypalon liner for

the sump box. The box was also large

enough to hold two filtration screens.

Water quality is as important as 

quantity.

General Plumbing

The need for standardization of

plumbing must be emphasized or you

can end up with some real repair

nightmares. For example, a manifold

that starts with a 1-inch tank adapter,

goes to a 3/4-inch gate valve, then to a

1 1/4-inch drinker line, and finishes

with a 1/2-inch float valve. If a project

needs repairs you should not have to

take an assortment of plumbing parts

in various sizes up and down the

mountain.

We use 1-inch and 2-inch parts

(Figures 4 and 5). Our hose clamps

have a slotted, #10 hex head. To maintain consistency, the insulation sheet

metal screws also have a #10 hex head.

A 5/16-inch nutdriver fits the #10 size.

At every pipe connection, we use

teflon tape and a slow-dry pipe compound; both help ensure a better fit

and seal. If you have to remove parts

later, these will make it a much easier

task as they inhibit rusting. We can

even use it on the Johnson screen

reducers. At the top of the plumbing

system are the “Johnson” filtration

screens. They are stainless steal well

pick-up screens, and are designed to

filter out sand and debris at the bottom of domestic water wells. The

screens are designed to filter up to 

30 gallons per minute.

The unit is 4 inches in diameter and

24 inches long with female threads on

one end and a plate welded to the

other. A 2- to 4-inch galvanized busing

is used to reduce down to 2-inch pipe.

Helpful Hint

Buy the highest quality,

heavy duty plumbing 

you can afford. Use the

minimum number of 

connections; every fitting

is a weak point. Reduce

the chances for failure by

keeping the plumbing as

simple and as strong as

possible.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

58

Figure 4. Water development, 1-inch plumbing.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

59

Figure 5. Water development, 2-inch plumbing.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

60

There are hundreds of thin slots along

the screen that allow water through

and keep all but the finest silts out of

the system. The slots are .05 mm in

width.

The screens can be productive when

fully covered with sand, rocks, and

gravel; they are designed to be constantly immersed, as in a well shaft.

However, the effectiveness of the

screens is significantly reduced when

vegetative debris is sucked onto the

surface. This problem usually happens

right after construction as the brush

clearing creates a mess that is washed

down in the first few rains. Always

clean the screens during maintenance

and remove any debris found behind

the dam.

PVC was heavily used in the water

developments at one time. But, PVC

is made to be buried or protected in

some other manner. In direct sunlight,

PVC plastic oxidizes and deteriorates;

it freezes and cracks easily after only a

year of exposure. Even when buried, it

cannot take the stress. PVC has been

displaced by galvanized plumbing and

stainless steel tank adapters. Whenever

we get the chance, we upgrade.

Only the first few Nevada Division of

Wildlife (NDOW) projects utilized

solid galvanized manifolds, which carry

water from the tanks to the drinker.

Polypipe is now used on the 1- and 

2-inch pipelines. The pipe is Drisco

8600 by Phillips Petroleum. It is made

for exterior, industrial applications and

is produced with a strong ultraviolet

inhibitor. Drisco is available in various

PSI ratings, but we usually use the 160

PSI in 1-inch pipes, and the 110 PSI

in 2-inch pipes. The pipe is flexible

and expands and contracts depending

upon the conditions. When using

polypipe, always allow for some pipe

movement. We do most of our construction in the winter and spring so

the pipe is already contracted.

In northern parts of the state (other

than the BLM Carson City District),

there was a problem with polypipe

because it popped off the fittings.

Frozen water in the pipes was suspected of forcing the pipe off; it is more

likely that the pipe was installed in the

summer when it was fully expanded in

the heat. When water did freeze in the

system, the pipe contracted off of the

fittings.

Part of the beauty of Driscopipe is 

its flexibility. It should be allowed to

expand and contract. Even when

buried, polypipe should be installed

with a good amount of slack. The 

2-inch pipelines can be run 450 feet

from dam to tanks and can contract 

1 to 3 feet along its length.

The polypipe is fitted on to galvanized

plumbing by heating the pipe. A pipe

welding machine can fuse pipe sections

together, but it is not well adapted to

remote construction. We use small

propane torches to heat the pipe

directly and slip it onto the fitting.

When the clamps are in place, the pipe

is heated again and the clamps are

quickly tightened.

Note: Phillips Petroleum has expressed

some concern about heating with a direct

flame. They are unsure as to whether a

flame will harm the UV inhibitors.

However, there has been no evidence of

any problems with this technique.

Troubleshooting

After watching one dam fill

up during a sudden thunderstorm, it was surprising

to find only a trickle going

into the tanks. The suction

had pulled vegetation

tightly onto the screens,

allowing little water

through. After scraping

the screens by hand, the

1,700 gallons behind the

dam drained in 20 minutes.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

61

Pipeline

The pipe from the dam to the tanks is

usually 2-inch Driscopipe 8600; the

110 PSI rating is preferred. Higher

PSI ratings mean thicker pipe walls

and smaller inside diameters. Standards

plumbing barbed adapters suit these

well. Any tighter inside diameter 

(160 or 190 PSI) pipe can be almost

impossible to slip on adapter plumbing.

You have to use a file or rotary rasp to

trim the interior. The heavy duty pipes

are also just that, heavier.

In the winter, place the pipe in the sun

to warm it up; it will roll out easier if

it is warm. Use two to four people to

roll the pipe out; don’t uncoil it. It

can cramp and will be very hard to

straighten out. Cut the bands on the

pipe roll before you get to them. If you

over-rotate the roll, the weight of the

pipe will crimp it. You may need to

cut that point and insert a galvanized

barb-x-barb adapter to keep it from

restricting flow or being a weak point

over time. Use two #36 hose clamps

on each side of the barb. When necessary, use light heat to bend the pipe to

fit it into crevasses or to go around

corners.

Make as straight a run to the tanks as

possible; but, when you lay the pipe

during the summer, allow for contraction of the pipe in the winter. In other

words, don’t pull it too tight.

Long runs of pipe may be subject to

vaporlocking especially if there is not

much fall. Get advice from an engineer

about venting long pipelines.

We recommend that there be at least

10 feet of drop between the bottom of

the dam and the top of the tanks. Try

for a quick drop of 5 feet after the pipe

leaves the dam; this creates a suction

when there is sufficient water behind

the dam and creates a good flow down

the pipeline. It gets water to the tanks

faster, which is important in a cloudburst rain.

The pipeline should be painted and

buried, if possible. Paint and cover the

pipe with rocks where the ground is

too rocky. Protecting any component

of the project from exposure will

extend the life of the project.

To keep the pipelines out of wash bottoms, the pipe is often hung along the

wash walls with pipe clamps or pipe

hanger. Try not to hold the pipe rigidly

at any point (expansion and contraction again). The 5-inch pipe hangers

are preferred because they allow the

pipe to move and support both pipes;

2-inch pipe clamps hold things too

rigidly.

Because of the weight of the pipe and

the force of the water going through

the pipe, there is a lot of jerking and

twisting. Regular lead masonry anchors

eventually loosen. Expansion anchors

are better. Chemical anchors are better

yet. A glass vial within a vial is placed

in the hole. The anchor bolt is jammed

in to break the vials and is twisted to

mix the epoxy. The bolt is bonded to

the rock.

There is a new epoxy “gun” which uses

cartridges, more or less like a caulk

gun; this appears to work better. It

goes by the name Epcon and is marketed by Ramset/Red Head.

Tank Location

There should be a minimum drop of

5 feet between the bottom of the

apron/dam and the top of the tanks.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

62

With aprons you are dealing with a

smaller collection surface; there is less

chance of hundreds of gallons of water

running off. The apron is better at collecting small rainfalls, so you should

make up what you might lose without

strong suction.

Remember the need to camouflage the

project. The tanks are the most obvious

visual aspect. The tank locations is as

important as using paint and vegetation to blend the tanks into the environment. Place the tanks in a swale 

(a low tract of land) or use large land

forms to break the outlines of the tanks.

Tank Pad

The location of the tanks above

ground is limited only by the ability to

improvise and use sound construction

techniques. The tank pad should be

constructed on the flattest area possible.

For three polytanks, the minimum area

to be covered should measure 9 feet x

26 feet, but 10 feet x 28 feet is better.

Some separation between the tanks is

mandatory. When the polytanks fill,

the walls flex outward. The space also

allows you to walk between the tanks;

this makes inspections and maintenance

easier.

If there is a concern that rocks or a rock

shelf might stop construction, probe

the ground prior to construction with

a 3-foot piece of rebar and a hammer.

The tanks should rest, at a minimum,

on two thirds solid ground and one

third fill. If you can, try to set the tanks

completely on solid ground and scatter

the dirt you remove. Fill dirt will settle

more under the weight of a full tank.

To start the pad construction, stack

rocks along the front of the pad; pull dirt

to fill in between the rocks (Figure 6).

Keep stacking and pulling dirt until

you have a large enough level area. A

10-foot 2 by 4 and a carpenter’s level

are used to level the pad. There should

be a 1-inch drop from front to back

(fill to solid). As the fill settles, the

tank will level out. Make sure the pad

is level from side to side; if the tanks

are not level, storage capacity is lost.

Each inch a tank sits above the lowest

tank results in a loss of 28 gallons.

Rake the surface to remove sharp

rocks. Remember that a 2,300 gallon

tank holds 9 tons of water. As the fill

settles, that’s a lot of weight pushing

down on any sharp rocks.

When the pad is done, spread dry

Portland (TYPE II) cement over the

pad. This will reduce wearing or cutting when it is hardened by rainfall.

Make sure the cement gets over and

between the rocks on the face of the

pad. The better the rocks stay in place,

the longer the pad will last. The rain

will harden the cement. You may want

to cut a trench above the pad to divert

water away from the pad.

On steep hillsides, stacking rocks may

be insufficient to form a pad. In such

cases, posts and fencing can be used to

reinforce the pad front (Figure 7). Six

foot T-posts are driven in at a slight

angle, leaning back into the hill. Hog

wire or chain link is stretched between

the posts to hold the fill. Then build

the pad as usual. If possible, cover the

mesh with cement to keep the fill from

washing out.

When the tanks must be placed on

rock, it is necessary to build a retaining

wall. Fill is put behind the wall and

the tanks are placed on the fill. The
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

63

same techniques that are used to build

the dam are used to make the retaining

wall. An L-shaped wall 3 1/2 feet

high and 20 feet in overall length

takes 100 bags of cement.

Use rocks and sand to fill the void

behind the wall. Overfill slightly to

allow for settling. At the White Basin

(Muddy #2) Project (Figure 8), a

source of sand was not convenient.

We used the helicopter and a simple

dump bucket to haul 4 cubic yards

(60 five-gallon buckets) of material at

six buckets per load.

Tanks

What type of tanks should you use?

Site selection will have a lot to do with

that. In remote locations with shallow

soils, tanks must remain above the

ground. Most of the fiberglass tanks

come in sections like slices of pie—

four tank sections and four lid sections. They are broad and low.

Figure 6. Tank pad profile.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

64

Tank 7. Steep tank pad.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

65

Figure 8. Muddy #2 tank pad.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

66

It is best to paint the tanks before the

materials are hauled out. They will get

scratched during construction, but you

can touch them up. Also, install the

tank adapters and mark the bottoms

according to their setup location

(North-Middle-South). The alignment

is included in the working diagrams.

Two fiberglass tank types are the parabolic or saucer tanks and the rangeland

style tank. The parabolic tanks are of

990-gallon capacity and are 16 feet

across and 2.8 feet high in the center.

The rangeland style tanks hold 2,100

gallons and are 16 feet across and 2.75

feet high. The bottom and side seams

on the larger tanks total 37.5 linear

feet. We have not been able to get a

good seal on these and water rarely

stays long in all but two of the eleven

Nevada applications. In one Mojave

Desert BLM project, the fiberglass

began to deteriorate and water wept

through the side walls. Yet fiberglass

tanks can work well. The Utah Division

of Wildlife Resources and BLM continue

to use these tanks with success.

One project used a big 5,000 gallon

corrugated metal cattle tank. The open

top proved to be a problem in the

Mojave heat at the Arrows #1 project.

Evaporation was high, but wind action

was even worse. The wind actually

crested waves and sloshed the water

over the sides. We built a lid for the

tank to solve the problem.

Another problem was the 5,000 gallon

designation. The tank would hold

5,000 gallons if it came with a bottom

plate. Instead, the tank had to be sunk

in concrete to form a bottom. As a

result, the tank held only 3,810 gallons

and was consistently drank dry until

two 1,600 gallon polytanks were added.

We have primarily opted for the polyethylene tanks. The standard grade

2,300-gallon tanks are light at 450

pounds and flexible (See Table 2,

Polyethylene Tank Sizes, at the end of

this chapter). They can be handled

roughly with few problems. One of

the earlier models was dropped from a

helicopter at 150 feet. The caved-in

sides were pushed out and it has

worked well for 10 years.

The polytanks are manufactured from

two resins; cross-linked and linear-low.

The cross-linked are molded crossadhering resins, while the linear-low

density resins do not bond as strongly.

Most linear-low applications should

not be placed in freezing areas; they

are more suited to interior (warehouse)

situations.

The standard grade crosslink tanks are

for fluids of 12 1/2 pounds per gallon.

The heavy-duty grade tanks are for

fluids of 16 pounds per gallon. The

latter cost more and exceed 500 pounds.

One advantage of these tanks is that

small holes are easily repaired. Hot

melt glue and a screw or bolt is all that

is needed.

One problem with polytanks is they

can’t be buried. If they are even partially

buried and the water level gets low, the

dirt can cave in the tank wall. It is not

ruined, but now it holds less water.

This has occurred in northern areas

where the tanks were buried to keep

the plumbing below the freeze level.

The problem with burying tanks is

getting enough storage capacity underground. Even in the best sheep habitat,

it is virtually impossible to bury anything, much less a large tank. And, if

Helpful Hint

Never store the polytanks

on their sides without

blocking them properly; a

strong wind can send them

rolling.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

67

there is a good site in sheep habitat,

you usually cannot get a backhoe to it.

If you do not completely bury the

tank, you have to deal with animals

walking on the top. The answer is to

fence the tank area. Depending on the

location, you might have to fence both

tanks and the entire project to exclude

livestock.

Polytank Set Up

The standard tank setup faces the

manholes in, toward the other tanks.

Use ladders placed against the tanks to

check water levels. Leave an aluminum

ladder at each site for inspections.

Most holes are drilled with a 2 3/8-inch

hole saw. A 2 1/2-inch hole saw will

work, but is not as tight. You can use

an adjustable fly-cutter bit, but if you

standardize, you only need two hole

sizes. The other size is a 1 5/8-inch hole

saw for the tank adapter. A 3/8 inch

drill bit is also needed for the tank

adapter bolts.

The tank adapters are installed in the

yard, which saves time and helps to

ensure that they are all installed the

same way. We have also abandoned the

1-inch PVC adapters for 1-inch stainless steel tank adapters (Figure 9). So

far, these units have been problem free.

There are two types of tank adapters.

One has a base plate with bolts that

protrude through the tank wall and

squeeze the tank wall between it and

the outside plate with the 1-inch female

threaded coupler. The adapter we 

prefer has the 1-inch female threaded

coupler attached to the base (interior)

plate. This unit has a single flat solid

sealing face, while the first unit has

two seals to make. The hole is plugged

with a 1-inch plug to keep dirt and

animals out prior to construction.

The only other hole drilled at the yard

is the equalizer hole near the manhole

on each tank for helicopter transport.

We place the sling trap and tagline

through this hole and the manhole.

There have been few problems; just

make sure that the strap does not bind

on and crack the ring for the tank lid

to screw into.

You could also drill holes for the overflows and attach the plumbing, but it

is usually not that difficult to do it on

site. The problem with doing it beforehand is that the plumbing could catch

when it is rolled around or slung.

Remember also, if you drill all your 

2 3/8-inch holes in the yard, you do

not allow for any fine tuning or unexpected circumstances. In the end, you

may have to plug holes that do not

suit the situations encountered.

In the yard, lay the polytanks on their

sides to get in and out of them. They

are easy to roll, but be careful in windy

situations.

Be very careful when you work in a

tank at a remote project alone or in the

summer. The enclosed system gets very

hot and very humid.

Pipeline Inflow

Bring the inflow pipes into the tank as

high as possible. The inflow pipe hole

will remain unsealed, although the

pipe will fit very snugly. If you place

the hole too low, water will seep out

and bring the tanks to that level. The

BLM has two 1,600-gallon tanks in

the Bird Spring Range at a horse

water development that are effectively

800 gallon tanks. The inflows were

drilled halfway up. The simple silicone

sealer is moved by the contraction of

the filter pipe.

Helpful Hint

Tie a 5-gallon bucket to a

rope for anyone going into

the tank. They can stand on

the bucket to get out; the

rope is then used to pull

the bucket back out.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

68

Figure 9. Stainless Steel tank adapters, 1-inch plumbing.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

69

Shove 8 to 10 feet of the inflow pipe

into the tank. The pipe will expand and

contract, but it will eventually settle.

If there is a possibility of the pipe pulling

out, attach a #36 hose clamp onto the

end of the pipe in the tank. If you

used the 2 3/8-inch hole saw, the pipe

will not pull out past this point.

The pipeline should not be attached

too rigidly to the tank; flexing of the

pipe with temperature changes will put

undue stress on the tank wall.

One screen will always be lower than the

other, so one pipeline will fill quicker

than the other. This may be valuable

to know. In light rains, this pipeline

will take all the water. If the main tank

is the only one on and you aren’t going

to be able to get to it to change tanks

during the use period, you’ll want all

the recharge to go into that tank.

Equalizers

Equalizers are pipe attachments that

connect the tanks and allow excess water

to flow from an almost full tank into

another tank. Equalizers are a backup.

When you have two pipelines in a

three-tank setup, or when one pipeline

fails, you need a backup fill method.

You can equalize between the tanks

through the manifold plumbing.

However, this plumbing is usually

smaller and is not capable of equalizing

quickly. When the water is flowing,

you have to make every reasonable

effort to collect it. Keeping all tanks on

to equalize also reduces the ability to

switch tanks on and off, maintaining a

reserve water supply. The equalizers

should be kept high. The tanks squat

when full and pressure on the tank

walls by the equalizers varies. This

shifting causes many equalizers to leak

at one tank or the other. Placing the

equalizers too low could easily reduce

your storage capacity if they leak.

Do not put the equalizers all the way

at the top of the tanks. Water will

come into the tanks through the

inflow pipe faster than it can equalize

into another tank. There needs to be

space above the equalizer before water

flows out of the overflow.

Make sure that the equalizer pipes do

not bow upward. Again, water will

pour out of the overflows and be lost

before it can go through the equalizers.

Seal the equalizers inside and outside

with good silicone caulk. Also, use

metal plumbing on the equalizers.

PVC will deteriorate in the sun or

crack under pressure. The more water

you can store, the better off you are

during dry times.

When using three or more tanks with

two fill pipes, run the two inflow pipes

into the outside tanks. When these

tanks fill, they will equalize into the

middle tank(s). Also, with the threetank setups, put both overflow pipes

on the middle tank. This way the controlled loss of water occurs when all

the tanks are full. (Figures 10 and 11).

Overflows

Why bother with overflowing plumbing?

For control. Water from an overflowing

tank can cut the tank pad or somewhere else that could cause damage.

You can direct the overflow wherever

you want. For conservation reasons, we

try to put it back into the drainage we

collect from. Paint and cover this pipe

as you would the main pipelines.

Make sure your overflow pipes are not

too short. Insects, lizards, and rodents can

get into the tank through these conduits.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

70

Figure 10. Inflow, equalizer, and overflow materials: standard 2-inch plumbing.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

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Figure 11. Water development tanks, overhead view.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

72

Manifold - Tanks to Drinker

The manifold plumbing (Figure 12) is

usually constructed of 1-inch parts. At

this point, there is no great need for

high flows and the 1-inch components

cost less. Metal parts are preferred, but

a galvanized metal manifold is a problem. Any additions or repairs are very

difficult with all metal plumbing. You

have to hacksaw the metal apart or

disassemble the whole thing. To put it

back together, you have to use a union

and parts that are the exact length.

We keep the manifold above ground

now to check for leaks and to allow

the flexibility of the polypipe to be

maximized. Besides, as the tank levels

change and the tanks flex, having the

manifold held rigidly in the ground

can put undue stress on the tank and

the plumbing.

The manifold should face to the south

so it gets some sun in the winter. The

tanks should add some reflective heat

this way. At one higher elevation project (6,500 feet), 2-foot-tall, 4-inchdiameter black PVC “riser” pipes were

installed over each gate valve. The tops

are capped to keep animals out. The

black pipe will absorb heat well and

should supply adequate warmth to

prevent freezing.

Check valves were once installed near

the gate valve on every tank to prevent

losses from leaks. It was thought that

equal pressure would allow the valve to

stay open, but a leak would create a

pressure change, shutting the check

valve and preventing the loss of all of a

project’s water. In practice, however,

most leaks are small enough that the

check valve never fully shuts off. They

don’t work in this setting. Additionally,

these brass units have been a weak

point during freezing; they are the first

parts to break.

Insulation

Insulation does not keep the plumbing

warmer or colder; it moderates the

temperature changes. Dirt is a good

insulator. You can leave the pipe

exposed, but if you want it to last as

long as possible, cover it.

We use standard 1-inch x 1-inch pipe

insulation that comes in 36-inch

lengths. The insulation is wrapped in

an aluminum sheath. The sheath is

difficult to fit and you need tin snips.

Attach the sheath sections with sheet

metal screws (#10 x 1/2-inch screws

are preferred). The #10 hex head is the

same as the hose clamp hex heads.

Insulation does little good if it is wet.

The sheath is a start at protection, but

try to seal the seams with silicone

caulk.

Float Box

Ammo cans have been used for float

boxes in the past and work poorly. The

metal is too thin and rusts out easily.

In some cases, the air-tight compartment acts as a vacuum and will not

permit the water to flow to the drinker.

We currently use a one-piece unit that

has the float box and drinker together

(Figure 13), mainly because it decreases

the plumbing connections. In colder

climates, the float box/drinker is not a

good option; the float box is less protected and is more likely to freeze.

One shallow float box in the Mormon

Mountains froze so hard that the ice

locked around the float valve. As the

ice block expanded upward, the float

valve was ripped upward.

Helpful Hint

Do not use the insulating

foam that comes in a can.

It deteriorates very rapidly.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

73

Figure 12. Standard manifold plumbing.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

74

Figure 13. Floatbox/drinker unit.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

75

One advantage to a separate floatbox

and drinker is keeping the critical float

valve away from the intensive animal

use area. Inadvertent damage is possible

as animals congregate. Several times when

projects have dried up, sheep have pawed

and banged the lid off the float box. In

one case, the float ball was pinned down

by the lid; if water had been collected

later, it would have been lost immediately. Horses and cattle have also done

this to some antelope developments.

The separate floatbox/drinker alternative also has problems. Since the box

can be located anywhere in relation to

the drinker, if its placement is not well

documented, it can be difficult or even

impossible to locate for repair and

maintenance.

Sometimes the float box is buried several

feet. Other times it is buried and covered

with insulation. Both of these situations

are difficult to inspect or repair.

The most critical part of the project is

the float valve. We use 1-inch brass

float valves. Since this part causes the

most problems, projects that can do

away with it are more desirable.

Keep the overflow pipe vertical at the

tanks. If you slope the pipe, you could

be making it a ramp for animals. A

slight upturn of the overflow pipe

along its length traps water and will

inhibit unwanted intruders.

The float ball can be a problem.

Originally, we used plastic or rubber

float balls. These can last for many

years in a domestic situation, but our

float balls are subjected to extremes in

temperatures; they crack and leak. We

switched to a 4-inch copper float ball

and had no problems until we tried to

fill them with foam. It was insulating

Plumbing in parts of 

western Canada is simply

buried 5 to 6 feet, with a

covered culvert sunk to

that level to allow access

to valves. The temperature

of the soil keeps the

plumbing from freezing.

A water drill is sometimes

used to create a shaft

below the plumbing,

increasing the movement

of heat from the earth.

foam and worked for several years.

Then the foam began soaking up water

and the float balls sank. Those were

replaced with unaltered 6-inch copper

float balls. The larger float balls dictate

a lower drinker level, but they close the

float valve with more force than the

4-inch units. When the drinker level is

adjusted, the 1/4-inch x 6 1/2-inch

brass float rod (one-piece drinker) is

often “tweaked” up or down. A little

bending is okay, but it can be broken.

Use the longest rod possible; shorter

rods reduce your ability to adjust the

water level. Never use a substitute rod;

it will corrode and bend, allowing the

project to drain.

More water has been lost due to

improper float adjustment than any

single mechanical failure. Most often,

the float is adjusted and the inspector

walks away. If the valve is not closed,

the slight drip may take hours to detect.

With any adjustment, you must wait

and watch for an hour before you leave.

Lay the float box lid sideways over the

box. Pull the float ball up and make

sure the ball cannot touch the lid. Try

to leave a minimum gap of 1/2 inch

between the ball and the lid. Overfill

the drinker to check it.

Any mechanism is more likely to fail at

the extremes of its functions. In the

case of the float valve, this is fully up

or fully down. Place a fist-sized rock

under the float ball; the rock keeps the

ball, and thus the float valve, from

going all the way down. It reduces the

chance that the valve will be stuck

down, preventing the project from

filling. There is not much you can do

about the valve sticking in the up position; the larger float ball and the maximum length of float rod should help

to keep this from happening.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

76

Drinker

Drinker location is vital. Do not put

the drinker in a situation that gives an

advantage to predators. Water sources

are where desert bighorns are the most

vulnerable, and predators depend on

these places to focus on prey species.

Desert sheep often watch the area of a

water source for hours before they go

in to drink. Then they drink and move

away.

Animals are rough around a drinker.

Sheep, for example, can wear ruts

around a drinker, leaving it standing

on a pedestal of dirt. Virtually every

drinker has to have cement and rocks

placed around it. Cement at least one

animal body length away from the

drinker. The best situation is to place the

drinker on a sheet of rock, if possible.

Make sure you have a way to protect

and cover the line coming in to the

drinker. It should be buried, but the

aluminum insulation sheath can protect the pipe as long as the animals

can’t move the pipe.

Do not cement too heavily over the

inflow point for the drinker; you may

need to make repairs or check for leaks

at the point of attachment.

Where freezing is a big concern, 

the drinker should taper upward.

Expanding ice will push upward. 

One suggestion is to provide a flexible

cushion for the ice to push against in

square drinkers or walk-in drinkers;

bunched hypalon or a rubber material

should work. Reflective heat can also

be used to reduce ice by placing the

drinker on the south face of a boulder.

Rocks are placed in all drinkers. Metal

drinkers have abrupt corners, and unless

a rock is placed in the back, lizards and

mice can and will swim into the corner

and paddle until they drown. The rock

provides a place to crawl out onto. It

also displaces water and provides an

irregular surface to heat up, increasing

the melting of ice that forms.

Construction in the mid-1980s

involved a separate float box and

drinker. The float box was made of

sheet metal. The drinkers were bowlshaped and formed from cement. They

function well, but several have leaked

where the pipe comes in through the

cement. The cement drinkers also

seem to promote algae buildup more

than sheet metal or plate steel drinkers.

Fences

A post and wire fence on a Mormon

Mountains Project was constructed to

keep horses out. The standard BLM

wildlife specification (16 feet 10 inches

– 8 feet 6 inches) also kept sheep out.

Deer would jump the fence, but sheep

were not comfortable with this. The

wires were bunched to form a 20-inch

to 22-inch separation around the

drinker area and sheep use increased

dramatically.

Sheep fence specifications allow for

animals to go under and through

fences. The first wire or pole is 18 to

20 inches from the ground, the second

is 6 to 8 inches above that, and the

optional top wire or rail is about 42

inches above the ground (Figure 14).

There has been some experimentation

with a single-rail fence in horse country. The rail is set at 36 to 38 inches.

Horses cannot get under, nor are they

inclined to go over. The problem

comes when you add cattle or burros

that will go under the rail.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

77

Besides watching the rail spacings, make

sure to allow room between the drinker

and the fence so predators cannot trap

startled animals against it. Most work

to date recommends a minimum of

100 feet from the drinker for all fencing.

While it is best not to create an inhibitive barrier until wildlife has begun to

use the project, once they do, they’ll

push a fence very hard to get back to

it. A solution is to install a fence with

gates. The wildlife is accustomed to the

fence, but when the livestock invade,

gate panels will drop into place.

For bighorn sheep, you can incorporate

cliffs or rock outcrops into the barrier.

The sheep should more readily use the

cliffs as “openings” in the fence, but

livestock will still be deterred.

Figure 14. Fence spacings.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

78

Table 1. Sources for water development materials.

Polypipe

Driscopipe Phillips Driscopipe, Inc

PO Box 83-3866

2929 North Central Expressway

Suite 100

Richardson, TX 75083

Maskell-Robbins, Inc

24113 56th Ave. W

Mountlake, WA 98043-5503 (425) 775-8600

Filtration Screens

Johnson Johnson Filtration Systems, Inc

Screens PO Box 64118 (612) 636-3900

St. Paul, MN 55164-0118 FAX (612) 638-3132

The Water Well

410 South Orchard

Suite #144

Boise, ID 83705 (208) 344-6690

Polytanks and Tank Adapter Fittings

Rotational Rotational Molding

Molding 17038 South Figueroa Street (310) 327 5401

Gardena, CA 90248 FAX (310) 323-9567

American Storage Tank Co.

11040 Hwy 41.

Madera, CA 93638 (209) 439-5189

Westec

195 W 3900 S.

Salt Lake City, UT 84107 (801) 266-2545

Zorb Tanks Poly Cal Plastics

PO Box 80 (209) 982-4904

French Camp, CA 95231 FAX (209) 982-0455
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

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Table 1. (cont)

Fiberglass Tanks and Drinkers

Desert Sun Fiberglass Systems, Ltd.

21412 N. 14th Avenue (623) 869-0907

Phoenix, AZ 85027 FAX (623) 869-9291

Fiberglass Structures, Inc

119 South Washington Avenue

PO Box 206 (406) 628-8208

Laurel, MT 59044 FAX (406) 628-2480

Cargo Nets and Straps

International Cordage, Inc (310) 435-8916

1657 West 16th (310) 437-0101

Long Beach, CA 90813 FAX (310) 435-2410

Liner Aprons

Hypalon Water Saver Company, Inc

PO Box 16456 (303) 289-1818

Denver, CO 80216-0465 FAX (303) 287-3136

Environmental Liners, Inc

2009 N. Industrial Road

Cortez, CO 81321 (303) 565-4221

PE Liners Gundle Lining Systems, Inc

1340 East Richey Road

Houston, TX 77073 (713) 443-8564

Poly-America, Inc

attn: Poly-Flex Div

2000 W Marshall Drive

Grand Prairie, TX 75051 (972) 647-4374

National Seal Company

600 N. First Bank Dr.

Palatine, IL 60067

Miscellaneous

Hand Tools Bailey’s

PO Box 550

44650 Hwy. 101 (707) 984-6133

Laytonville, CA 95454 FAX (707) 984-8115
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

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Table 2. Polyethylene tank sizes.*

Capacity Diameter Total Height Weight

(Gallons) (Lbs.)

30 1'11" 1'5" 18

500 4'0" 6'1" 133

1000 6'0" 5'4"

1000 5'4" 5'9" 140

1600 7'6" 5'6"

1600 7'8" 5'0" 282

2300 7'6" 7'7" 450

2500 7'10" 8'1" 485

3000 7'6" 9'10"

3000 8'0" 8'6" 640

5000 9'11" 9'10" 1100

6500 9'10" 11'9"

16400 4"0" 16'6" 4200

* Figures from two manufacturers
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

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Chapter 4-Aerial

Transportation of

Materials and Equipment

Helicopter

Transport

Many guzzlers are located at sites that

can be driven to, which simplifies

logistics and makes the entire construction process easier. However, a

significant number are located in

remote sites, which necessitates the use

of helicopters.

Helicopters are expensive and potentially very dangerous, but they have

proven to be an essential part of guzzler construction. Eight of the 29 big

game units in the Carson City District

required the use of helicopters. These

units were all located in desert bighorn

sheep habitat.

The majority of the helicopters we use

are small, either Bell Jet Rangers,

Hughes 500 Cs or Ds, or Bell 47 (old

MASH type) Soloy Conversions, powered by the same type of turbine

engine as that used in the Jet ranger or

Hughes 500. Personnel are usually all

that is carried inside these helicopters,

although never if there is anything on

the hook.

Larger helicopters, such as the Bell

204/205/212 (Hueys), can accommodate items like the 18-foot steel beams

carried crosswise, with both ends of

each beam sticking out from the helicopter several feet on each side.

Many things need to be considered

when using helicopters, especially if

you work for an agency within the

U.S. Department of the Interior

(USDI) or for the Forest Service (FS).

These include safety; paperwork/forms;

load preparation; staging; external load

equipment; sling operations; and coordination between the helicopter pilot

and the ground crew.

While the following information is not

all-inclusive, it is based on many years

of sling experience by both authors,

not all of which was devoted to moving only guzzler materials or construction equipment.

Safety

Personnel safety is first and foremost.

Agency personnel, especially those

employed by the Bureau of Land

Management (BLM) or the FS, work

under a set of no-nonsense rules that

have evolved over the past 20 years,

and have been developed and implemented by the Interior Department’s

Office of Aircraft Safety (OAS). In the

last decade, several game and fish agencies have adopted all or part of these

rules as well.

The reader is strongly

urged to obtain a copy of

the Department of the

Interior’s Interagency

Helicopter Operations

Guide (IHOG). It can be

ordered from NIFC Supply.

Ask for NFES 1885.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

82

OAS rules require that all personnel

working in, under, and close to helicopters (such as a sling operation) wear

what is called “Personnel Protective

Equipment” (PPE). PPE includes special fire-retardant clothing (Nomtex),

either flight suites or pants/shirts;

Nomex or leather gloves; and hard

hat/goggles or flight helmet/goggles

or visor. Wearing this equipment is

mandatory for BLM employees.

Personnel should also wear non-synthetic clothing such as cotton or wool

under the PPE as this adds another

layer of protection (it chars but does

not melt.) The value of Nomex clothing

is that it resists flash fires. PPE and

non-synthetic clothing are the best

protection against severe burns.

Proper training is also important.

Many people who routinely hook loads

under hovering helicopters have had

no formal training; they learned “on

the job.” While formal training may

not be essential for non-Government

personnel, it is required for Federal

agency people. If you do not have the

training necessary to do helicopter

sling work, make an effort to get

someone who is experienced to help

you, such as helitack or qualified

resource personnel.

Paperwork/Forms

Before anything can be moved, two

things are required:

1. The maximum allowable load in

pounds for the helicopter, considering pressure, altitude, elevation, and

temperature, must be determined.

2. The loads you assemble must not

exceed the maximum allowable

load, including the weight of the

swivel/net/choker/sling.

Department of the Interior agencies use

Helicopter Load Calculation (OAS-67)

forms to figure the weight of the load.

A sample of this form and the instructions for filling it out is shown in

Figure 1. BLM regulations require that

a “load calc” accompany the documentation sent to BLM so the aircraft

owner can be paid. There is no need to

do a load calc for every load. Instead,

determine the allowable load using the

highest elevation at which the helicopter will be working and the warmest

temperature you anticipate. Keep in

mind that the allowable load will

increase as the helicopter burns off fuel

during the operation.

Load Preparation

Every item must be weighed, marked,

and the weight recorded for future reference. We use duct tape and felt-tip

pens to mark the items. Materials and

equipment should be weighed before

being sent to the work site to save time

and effort during the sling operation

itself. A spring-type Chatillon scale is

used if an agency helitack crew does

the weighing; otherwise a bathroom

scale on a firm surface (even a small

piece of plywood) is adequate.

Load placement inside the helicopter

or on the hook is up to the pilot as

he/she has charge of the actual transportation. Remember one basic concept - the pilot is in command. It is

his/her call whether a load is safe to fly,

how it is loaded, and whether the load

must be jettisoned from the helicopter

if it starts to swing erratically or out of

control. That is why, for safety reasons,

almost all of the materials and tools

ferried into a remote site must be easy

to jettison.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

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Figure 1. Form and instructions for determining helicopter’s maximum allowable load.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

84

The equipment used in the Carson

City District for sling operations consists of swivels, nets, lead lines, and a

special sling made of very heavy-duty

nylon webbing. We can use a minimum of four units, each consisting of

a swivel, a lead line (18 foot) and a

net. If you have access to more units,

the work will go faster, especially if the

turnaround time for each load is short

(e.g., less than 6 minutes). The quick

turn around time is also why, before

the helicopter lifts off with the first

load, you should have at least four or

more loads ready to go.

The nets, when stretched open on the

ground, are 12 feet square and virtually

everything except the tanks, tank lids,

10-foot gutter assemblies, and steel 

C-beams can be carried in them.

Strive to center everything in the net

(paint the net center orange, if the

paint won’t negatively affect the material), and when the allowable weight is

reached, pull the end/connecting rings

pursing the net. Clip the lead line

hook to both rings and add a swivel to

the ring/loop of the lead line. Each net

load is done this way unless the pilot

prefers to fly without the lead line,

which is his/her choice.

The swivel, rated at 3,000 pounds

capacity, hooks directly to the hook on

the helicopter. Be careful of the aluminum gates which fit into the openings on swivel hooks - these are fairly

fragile and may be bent. Most can be

straightened with vise-grip type pliers.

If the gate is bent beyond repair, 

DO NOT USE THE SWIVEL.

For most loads, this is usually all the

preparation that is necessary. However,

if you have many small boxes full of

hand tools, drills, or light-weight

items, the purse ropes of the net

should be tied together with short

pieces of paracord, or even duct taped.

The boxes that house the hand tools,

drill bits, oilers, fence parts, and other

miscellaneous items should be tied

together so they can’t slip through the

net mesh. The same applies to all hand

tools such as shovels, pulaskis, and

digging bars. We usually bind these

together with duct tape. Obviously,

people at both ends of the operation

will have to have cutting tools of some

sort (e.g., lockback folder, fixed blade

sheath knife, or carton cutter).

The 18-foot steel beams, if slung, are

rigged as follows. Take two of the lead

lines and make them into chokers.

Run the hooked end of the lead line

under the beam ends and clip it back

onto the cable. The first 2 feet from

each end of the beams should be

unsupported to allow the choker cable

to slide easily under them. Connect

the two lead line rings with a swivel

and the load is ready.

The fiberglass tanks are lightweight

and bulky and will become airfoils

(out of control) unless they are rigged

properly. We use the special sling mentioned earlier for the tanks and the

lids, and on occasion as a choker for

slinging the steel beams. 

With a medium-sized helicopter, these

tanks must be slung upside down; on

smaller helicopters, they are slung right

side up with the 10-foot gutter assembly pieces nested in them. The gutter

pieces, including the white S&D pipe

should be duct-taped together. We also

put electric cords and cardboard boxes
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

85

containing parts in them, but no steel

boxes or digging tools. If you don’t

have a sling, use a cargo net of at least

12 square feet.

For the polypropylene tanks, which

weigh 800 pounds empty, a medium

(Bell 205) helicopter is preferred;

Hughes 500 E’s or Bell 206 Long

Rangers are marginal.

When using the sling, be very careful

to make sure the sling loops are under

the ends of the tanks far enough so

that they won’t slip off during transport. Once the tanks are in the sling

and still on the ground, tie the opposite sides of the pursing cord of the

sling together with paracord in such a

way that they cannot move. When

slinging tank lids with this sling, secure

the sling loops near the lid ends with

short pieces of paracord threaded

through the drill holes on the lids and

around the sling loop.

When slinging cubitainers full of

water, DO NOT sling them with spare

gas cans. If the load is not centered,

things occasionally spill. NEVER put

gasoline atop the water when you are

slinging. Consider using small pallets

for a stable platform when moving the

water.

The total weight for a standard big

time guzzler unit, with fiberglass tanks,

plus steel fence for bighorn sheep is

roughly 6,200 pounds. If polypropylene tanks are used, then add 500

pounds. If a 300-foot-long wood

buck-and-rail fence is added, the total

weight goes up another 4,000 pounds

(subtract 640 pounds for the steel

fence from the 6,200 pounds).

Safety Tip

Make sure that roof 

decking/sheeting that is

not already secured in a

net as a load is well

anchored as the rotor wash

from the helicopter, even a

small helicopter, will cause

unweighted sheets to 

separate, float, and fly like

30-pound knife blades in

every direction.

Staging

The helispot should be as level as possible so the helicopter can land and

refuel safely. It should be large enough

so that the helicopter can land or

hover and pick up a sling load. The

more open the area is (i.e., fewer trees,

rocks, and/or hills), the better the

helispot will be as it will give the pilot

better and safer maneuvering room for

moving loads and for refueling. A good

approach and departure route (always

made into the wind) is necessary.

The actual landing pad for a small

helicopter should be 15 feet x 15 feet,

but a 75-foot diameter area is needed

for safe operation. Specifications for a

medium-sized helicopter pad are 20

feet x 20 feet and a 90-foot diameter

area. The specifications for a heavy

helicopter pad are 30 feet x 30 feet and

a 110-foot diameter area. There should

also be room at the helispot for the

trucks to maneuver and off-load

materials and equipment.

Equip both helispots (staging area

and work site) with a 20-pound fire

extinguisher and windsock or at least

engineer’s flagging tied to a pole or

radio antennae. Also, stabilize the dust

if you can with water or with foam

from an agency fire truck.

Fueling the helicopter is also part of

the process. Department of the

Interior/OAS rules do not allow hot

fueling (while the engine is running

and the blades are turning) unless

there is a helicopter-to-fuel-truck

ground and a sealed fueling system.

This is usually not present on small

helicopters, but may be present on

some medium and all large helicopters.
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

86

For safety purposes, stay at least 50

feet from refueling operations. If you

must help with the fueling and are

wearing Nomex PPE, be very careful

NOT to get fuel on the PPE as it will

negate its safety features.

Unless the helispot is small, and the

helicopter cannot be refueled except

right at the staging area, have the fueling done away from the staging area to

allow load preparation to continue.

Also, there should be no one inside the

helicopter during refueling.

External Load Equipment/

Sling Operations

The number of people needed to do a

fast-paced sling operation is seven on

the ground - four at the staging area

and three at the work site. The extra

person at the staging area is the loadmaster, who keeps track of loads and

weights. Whoever has the most experience in this type of operation should

be designated as helibase manager to

properly coordinate that activity.

Before the first load is hauled, personnel unloading the nets and equipment

at the work site must be ferried to it.

This will require one or two trips if a

Bell 47 sized helicopter is used. If

receiving personnel have not been to

the site, then the job supervisory will

have to show the pilot where the site

is, and one or more ground crew can

ride at that time. Sometimes the helicopter arrives at the staging area ahead

of the materials and equipment; that is

also a good time for a recon flight.

A typical sling operation scenario

would be as follows: the loadmaster,

carrying a hand-held radio and, if possible, wearing a colored vest (to make

him/her stand out from the rest of the

crew for easy identification by the

pilot), stands 60 to 100 feet from the

load. The task is to direct the pilot,

not only during rigging the loads, but

during flight as well.

The helicopter moves up, hovering

over the load, and within reach of the

hook up person, who has the swivel in

hand. Once the swivel is forced onto

the hook, the hook up person moves

toward the loadmaster so the pilot can

see both people, and the pilot lifts the

load and proceeds to the destination.

The hook-up person should stand so

that he/she will not have to move

around the load toward the loadmaster

once it is hooked up.

The loadmaster indicates either by

arm signals or by radio when the lead

lines/sling are taut and when the load

is clear of the ground. This is especially

important when a long line - an electric

hook at the end of a 50-foot-cable - is

used. The hook-up person, to avoid

bodily injury, must be very aware of

the hook at all times, as it is very heavy

and usually swinging like a pendulum.

Never turn your back on a moving

long-line hook.

Some helicopters develop static electricity and there may be a significant

spark arching between the hook, swivel,

and hook-up person. Swivels may be

touched (grounded) against a helicopter skid before rigging the load.

Usually this is not necessary on small

helicopters, but the bigger the ship, the

bigger the potential spark.

Before the first load lifts off, there

must be a discussion between the pilot,

the loadmaster, and the hook-up 

person to determine where everyone
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

87

should go in the event of a helicopter

malfunction during hook up.

As noted above, the loadmaster directs

load preparation. This person also

keeps track of the number of loads and

the weight of each. This is because a

load manifest is required when the pay

document is submitted. The loadmaster is also in radio communication

with the pilot for flying conditions,

return of empty nets/sling, etc.

When several loads have been ferried

to the work site, the empty nets, lead

lines, and swivels are rolled up and

placed in one net. The net is then

slung from the helicopter and released

by the pilot at the staging area, where

directed by the loadmaster. A single

net or two nets should be rolled up

and placed in the helicopter. They are

too light by themselves if slung on the

hook and can quickly become airfoils

and create problems.

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89

APPENDIX AAdditional Water

Catchment Devices

Other types of natural and artificial

water-catching and storing devices

include tinajas, inverted aprons, the

Lesicka designs, saucer units, pouredin-place concrete tanks overlain by corrugated roofing aprons, and galvanized

steel ring tanks supplied either by metal

aprons (Chapter 2) or by the small

dams used in slickrock development.

Steel GroundHugging Aprons

The Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn

group in Las Vegas has developed a

steel ground-hugging collection apron

that makes slopes up to 30 percent

usable (Photos 1 and 2). The area must

first be cleared of all rocks larger than

fist-size. Then, 2-foot pieces of 5/8-inch

steel rebar are driven into the ground in

parallel rows, spaced 5 feet apart on the

contour. Rebar spacing along the row

depends on the width of the apron—a

minimum of 2 and a maximum of 3

per purlin (C-beam) are used. Once

the rebar is in place, steel purlins (13

foot for 39-foot wide aprons; 14 foot

for 42-foot aprons; 15 foot for 45-foot

aprons) are laid on the ground on the

downhill side of the rebar and secured

with U-bolts. Be sure the U-bolts have

enough threaded portions so you don’t

need a lot of extra washers for spacers.

Purlins are simply butted up to each

other with no overlap. Start with the

first row of purlins, so gutter can be

added while the remaineder of the

purlins are secured. Purlins come in

various lengths up to 16 feet, are made

of 16- or 18-gauge steel, and are 6 inches

by 2 inches by 2 inches in cross-section.

Once the rows of purlins are completed,

use a power hacksaw to cut off the

tops of the rebar. While this is being

done, secure the gutter to the first row

of purlins. You’ll need to cut a shallow

trench for this, or make sure the first

row of purlins is off the ground about

8 inches. The gutter was custom made,

and in 10 foot pieces which were

TEK-screwed together after being

heavily caulked at the joint, and

TEK-screwed to the first purlin.

The gutter is galvanized steel, approximately 12 inches across by 16 inches

deep. Determine before construction

whether the gutter should have drains

at both ends. The ones used by the

Fraternity have 2-inch threaded drains

put in the ends (not bottoms) of the

gutter. A 2-inch metal threaded/barbed

MIP is then used to connect the

polypipe leading to the storage tanks

to the gutter. This size gutter will collect almost any amount of water coming off the apron during a cloudburst.

The Fraternity used a Johnson screen
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90

Photo 1. Rows of purlins in place.

Photo 2. Completed apron in background.

for each drain hole (there were 2 at

one end) within the gutter, to trap any

debris or sediment washing off the

apron or surrounding area.

Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn

P.O. Box 27494

Las Vegas, NV 89126-1494

Phone (702) 458-5858

Email info@desertbighorn.com
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Tinajas

Tinajas are natural tanks, waterscoured over time by high runoff in

granite canyon and wash bottoms in

the hot desert ranges found mostly in

Arizona and California. These vary in

size from a few inches deep, holding a

few gallons of water, to 15 feet deep,

holding hundreds of gallons of water

after thunderstorms. The Arizona

Desert Bighorn Sheep Society (ADBSS)

based in Phoenix, Arizona, with help

from the Arizona Game and Fish

Department, has improved many

dozens of these tinajas by enlarging

and sealing them, and building shade

structures over them.

Sealing the rock is an element critical

to their success, and the ADBSS,

through its experience and in a paper

published by Robert S. Gray, one of

it’s early presidents, has become expert

at it. The paper, which was prepared

and presented at the 1973 annual

meeting of The Desert Bighorn

Council, explains in step-by-step

fashion the materials and methods

needed to seal the tinajas. That paper

is included in the Technical Note as

Appendix B.

The same process is used for sealing

concrete-and-rock dams, and natural

or blasted stone cisterns, which are also

a specialty fo the ADBSS. The methods

have well withstood the test of time.

Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep

Society

P.O. Box Drawer 7545

Phoenix, Arizona, 85011

Phone (602) 912-5300

Inverted

Aprons/Umbrellas

Inverted aprons/umbrellas consist of a

large (up to 10,000 gallons) circular,

corrugated steel tank overlain by a circular apron of galvanized steel. This

circular apron is usually much larger

than the diameter of the tank. The

apron serves as the roof of the tank.

These have been used mainly in

Arizona, New Mexico, and California

by game and fish agencies, the BLM,

and the Forest Service. Many have

been in existence since the 1960s.

Depending upon the size of the storage

tank, the bottom of the tank may be

poured concrete.

Lesicka Design

The Lesicka Design is fairly recent

and is used primarily in Southern

California and Western Arizona. It

collects thunderstorm water flowing

under the surface in larger desert washes.

The perforated collection pipe is usually

placed underground across a major

wash or drainage that runs well. A

small (low) dam may be constructed to

retard the flow and protect the two or

more 4-inch perforated polyethylene

pipe or agricultural drain tiles that are

used to collect the water. Surface water

and debris pass over the system, but

water seeping through the sand is continually drawn off. A solid bottom is

not always necessary, but the system

works best if that is a part of the unit.
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92

The trenches for the collection pipe

and drainpipe are cut with a backhoe.

Six to 8-inch pipe is used for carrying

water to the storage system to accommodate the very large, short-term

flows that are the rule rather than the

exception in that part of the world.

Leon M. Lesicka

4780 Highway 111

Brawley, California, 92227

Phone (619) 344-7073

Second Lesicka

Design

The Second Lesicka Design collects

water from a natural apron, such as

desert pavement, or from a small 

secondary wash draining two or more

acres. The wash should be of coarse

gravel, rocks, or hardpan. A low dam,

usually 18-inches high or so, is sufficient. Water backing up behind it is

drained through a screened 6-inch pipe

to the holding tank and drinker. This is

similar to the design used in southern

Nevada (Chapter 3).

For both systems, Lesicka uses 10,000-

gallon fiberglass fuel tanks for storage.

The 8-foot tall by 30-foot long tanks

are completely buried for protection.

The walk-down drinker is made of

fiberglass, and is 8-feet tall, 4-feet

wide, and 16-feet long. It is self leveling

with the tanks and is connected by

flexible underground plumbing. The

bottom of the drinker is made of 

concrete to provide durability.

Leon M. Lesicka

4780 Highway 111

Brawley, California, 92227

Phone (619) 344-7073

Saucer Units

Saucer units (also referred to as

desert discs, parabolic discs, or flying

saucers), are a patented design marketed

by Fiber Erectors of Red Bluff,

California, which also makes a variety

of other fiberglass products. They are

circular, made of heavy fiberglass, and

range in diameter from between 9 to16

feet. Storage capacity ranges from

between 200 to 2,200 gallons, depending upon configuration of the bottom

(parabolic or flat). They are a bolttogether device and have up to 40 feet

of seams. The roofs of these units also

serve as their collecting aprons.

They have been tried throughout

Nevada, California, and Utah, with

varying success. The problems associated with them include lack of adequate

collection surface and leakage. One of

the big game units in the BLM’s

Carson City District had to be

recaulked. The BLM’s Ely and Las

Vegas Districts installed seven of the

large units and only one continues to

function. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service has replaced one of its units.

Members of the Society for the

Conservation of Bighorn Sheep (southern California), in conjunction with

the California Department of Fish and

Game personnel, report that the one

unit that does function worked after

the seams had been resealed with fiberglass. On the other hand, the BLM

Moab Utah District installed several of

the large units over a several-year span

and no maintenance problems have

been identified.

Another problem identified with the

larger units is that it takes several people to turn over the bottom, once its

four quarters are caulked and bolted
WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

93

together. The manufacturer says that

the bottom may be stood on edge and

allowed to flop, being cushioned by air

as it approaches the ground. While this

works fine on forest duff, most of

Nevada and Southern California has

too many rocks to chance breaking the

unit by doing this.

Fiber Erectors

PO Box 1009

Red Bluff, California 96080

Phone (916) 527-1515

Concrete

Tanks/Drinkers

Concrete tanks/drinkers were used by

the Arizona Game and Fish

Department in the 1960s and 1970s.

They consisted of a poured-in-place

concrete tank, 2 to 3 feet deep, rectangular shaped, with a 2,500 gallon

capacity. One feature was a walk-down

drinker that was poured at the same

time at one end of the unit. Water

simply moved between the storage

tank and the drinker through a hole

cut in the wall. It was basically an early

version of a self-leveling system. The

apron consisted of steel corrugated

roofing, 25 feet by 60 feet, which served

as the roof of the storage tank. The

apron sat almost level at ground level.

Many of these concrete tanks were

filled via concrete collecting aprons.

Many of the units, where deer use is

heavy, are being revisited and

improved. Up to three, 3,150 gallon

fiberglass storage tanks are buried nearby and provide water for a walk-in

trough. These buried systems are being

used in wilderness areas to reduce the

need to haul water to the heavily used

original tanks. The sites are completely

landscaped and restored to their normal status, leaving virtually no trace of

the construction work.

Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep

Society

PO Drawer 7545

Phoenix, Arizona, 85011

Phone (602) 912-5300

Galvanized Steel

Ring Tanks

Galvanized steel ring tanks, supplied

either by aprons or slickrock catchments, are currently being built by the

Arizona Game and Fish Department

and the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep

Society. These storage structures typically hold 15,000 gallons of water.

Animals drink from a fiberglass trough,

and the system is self-leveling. The

tanks utilize a polyethylene floor, and

Chemical Industrial Membrane (CIM)

is used to seal the joints of the ring

tank itself. A steel roof is constructed

over the ring tank and essentially

sealed to prevent evaporation.

Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep

Society

PO Box 7545

Phoenix, Arizona, 85011

Phone (602) 912-5300
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Final Notes

Here are some tips based on the authors’

experience over the past 30 years in the

intense sun and temperature extremes

found in Nevada.

• DO NOT use wood structures to

support aprons; they deteriorate

quickly and burn readily in range

fires.

• Storage bags made of butyl rubber

deteriorate in sunlight and are 

subject to hoof damage by large

wildlife, such as mule deer and

desert bighorns if they get on top of

the bags searching for the water.

• Fiberglass collecting aprons, tried in

the mid-1970s in BLM’s Carson

City District, did not withstand the

ultraviolet light from the sun and

were also very easily vandalized.

• Collecting aprons made of rubber

sheeting and asphalt both deteriorate

quickly unless constantly maintained.
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Appendix B
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WILDLIFE WATER CATCHMENT CONSTRUCTION IN NEVADA

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The mention of company names, trade names, or commercial products does not constitute 

endorsement or recommendation for use by the Federal Government.