A shallow buried pipeline from the farmstead water source to a summer pasture may be a better solution than a pasture dugout. A farmstead water source, such as a well or farmstead dugout, is usually of better quality than a pasture dugout, even when cattle do not have direct access to the pasture dugout. And better water quality leads to improved cattle weight gain. Generally speaking, farmstead dugouts are larger, deeper, aerated, chemically treated, and better maintained than pasture dugouts. Over time, a farmstead water source, whether it is a well or a large dugout, will degrade much more slowly than a pasture dugout.
Pipelines offer several other advantages over pasture dugouts.
A pipeline through the middle of a pasture allows for more cross fencing of the pasture. Multiple outlets with shut-off valves can be inserted as desired anywhere along the pipeline. The increased cross fencing leads to shorter duration rotational grazing. This results in better pasture health and increased pasture carrying capacity. The cost of a shallow pasture pipeline is approximately half the cost of dugouts serving the same pastures.