One of the main water harvesting systems at the farm is located at the bull barn. The bull barn utilizes water harvesting, runoff control, and uses solar power to provide water to two watering systems that serve multiple areas. Here is a diagram of the water harvesting system at the bull barn:
Precipitation is collected from the roof and piped into the cisterns. The roof collection area is about 4,900 square feet. A one-inch rainfall event provides 3,000 gallons of water. (Click on an image to enlarge it)
Unlike the calving barn, the bull barn uses in-ground cisterns for water collection. These are positioned on the backside of the barn, near the access road. These three cisterns hold 6,000 gallons of water. Since these cisterns are located directly next to an access road, we built a rock wall barrier to protect them.
A solar panel and pump are used to transfer the water from the cisterns to a 5,000 gallon water tower, which is used to gravity feed two tire waterers. The water tower is located in an old corn crib that wasn't being utilized. The corn crib protects the water tank from the sun.
