Water consumption varies over a rather wide range, depending upon a number of physiological and environmental conditions, so that estimates are subject to considerable error. These conditions include the kind and size of animal, whether or not it is lactating, how active it is, the kind and amount of diet it consumes, climatic conditions, and other factors. Most ground or surface waters are satisfactory for livestock. Some are not, however, resulting in poor performance or even death in animals confined to them. Of lesser importance is nitrate content, and on rare occasions alkalinity or other factors may become involved.
Water is a very good solvent, and all natural waters contain dissolved substances.
Most of these are inorganic salts, the calcium, magnesium and sodium chlorides, sulfates, and bicarbonates predominating. Occasionally these are present in such high concentrations that they cause harmful osmotic effects resulting in poor performance, illness or even death in animals confined to them. The various salts have slightly different effects. Thus, while sulfates are laxative and may cause some diarrhea, their damage to the animal seems no greater than that of chlorides, and magnesium salts seem no more of a problem than calcium or sodium salts. Further, the effects of the various salts seem additive, which means that a mixture of them seems to cause the same degree of harm that a single salt does at the same total concentration.