Water for Livestock During a New Jersey Drought: How Much You Need and How to Get It

Published October 30, 2026 · A Clear Alternative Water, Pennsauken NJ, since 1991

When a farm well runs low or a spring-fed trough dries up during a New Jersey drought, animals cannot wait. A beef cow needs about 15 gallons of water a day, a horse up to 15 gallons, and a lactating dairy cow as much as 35, and those numbers climb in heat. The fastest way to bridge the gap is to have certified potable water trucked in and pumped into a storage tank or your existing troughs on a schedule, while you work on the well. This guide shows how to figure out how much water your animals need, how to set up storage, and what to do before the well gives out completely. A Clear Alternative delivers potable water to farms in all 21 New Jersey counties; call 1-888-577-8088.

How Much Water Your Livestock Need

The New Jersey Livestock Drought Management Plan from Rutgers NJAES gives these average daily amounts:

• Lactating dairy cow: 15 to 35 gallons a day
• Dry dairy cow or beef cow: about 15 gallons a day
• Adult horse: up to 15 gallons a day, and 2 to 3 times more when working
• Adult sheep: 1.5 to 3 gallons a day
• Adult hog: 3 to 5 gallons a day
• Adult hen: about a pint a day

Rutgers also gives a rule of thumb: about one gallon of water for every two pounds of dry feed an animal eats. Need goes up with heat, humidity, stress, illness, pregnancy and milk production. In fall and winter, animals moving from pasture to dry hay often drink more, not less, because hay carries much less moisture than fresh grass.

Working Out Your Daily Total

Add up each group, then add a margin for spills, hot days and evaporation from open troughs. For example:

• 20 beef cows at 15 gallons = 300 gallons a day
• 6 horses at 15 gallons = 90 gallons a day
• 30 sheep at 3 gallons = 90 gallons a day

That small mixed farm uses roughly 480 gallons a day before any margin, or about 3,400 gallons a week. Planning around 20 to 25 percent extra is sensible. Do not forget water used for cleaning milking equipment, washing stalls or mixing feed, which can be more than the animals drink on a dairy.

What New Jersey Drought Rules Mean for Farms

New Jersey's drought stages (watch, warning and emergency) mostly affect lawn watering and other outdoor household uses. According to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, agricultural water use, including water for livestock and other animal operations, is exempt from restrictions as long as it follows best management practices. That exemption does not refill a dry well, though. The real risk on a farm is that the water table drops below the pump, the spring that feeds a trough slows to a trickle, or a farm pond turns too low and muddy to use. Our guide to NJ drought watch and drought warning stages explains what each stage means for private wells.

Warning Signs Your Farm Well Is Running Short

• Pressure drops or sputtering when several troughs or hydrants are running at once.
• Water turns cloudy, sandy or rusty, which can mean the pump is drawing from the bottom of the well.
• The pump runs much longer to fill the same tank, or short-cycles on and off.
• Automatic waterers refill slowly or not at all.
• Springs, seeps or ponds the animals usually drink from are noticeably lower.

If you see these signs, act before the well quits completely. A pump that runs dry can overheat and fail, which turns a slow-water problem into a no-water problem. Call your well contractor, and set up a backup water supply at the same time.

Setting Up Delivered Water on a Farm

Storage

Most farms use one of three setups:

• Fill existing troughs directly. Simple for small herds, but it means a delivery every day or two.
• A storage tank feeding troughs. A food-grade poly tank, set on level ground, feeds troughs by gravity or a small transfer pump with a float valve. One delivery can cover several days.
• Fill a cistern or the well's storage tank. If your farm already has a cistern or a large holding tank, we can fill it and your existing plumbing does the rest.

Size storage for at least two to three days of use so a weather delay or a holiday does not leave animals short. Our standard tanker carries 6,200 gallons, so the small farm in the example above could go about two weeks on one load with enough storage, or less in hot weather.

Keeping the Water Clean

• Use clean, food-grade tanks and hoses that have not held fuel, chemicals or pesticides.
• Keep tanks covered and shaded to limit algae and keep the water cooler.
• Clean troughs regularly. Animals drink more when water is fresh and clean.
• Keep livestock from standing in or contaminating the storage tank area.

Access for the Truck

The tanker needs a firm route to within hose reach of your tank. Wet fields, soft lanes and low wires can stop a delivery. Tell us about gates, bridges and turnaround space when you book. Our agricultural water delivery page explains how farm deliveries work.

Winter Water Problems

Drought is not only a summer problem. A dry fall can leave wells low going into winter, and frozen lines and hydrants can cut off water just as animals switch to hay. Heated troughs, insulated lines and a stored water supply help. If a frozen or failed well leaves a barn without water, our emergency water delivery service runs around the clock.

Plan Ahead Before the Next Dry Spell

• Write down your daily water use by animal group, so you can order the right amount quickly.
• Know your well depth, pump depth and pump capacity. Your well contractor can help.
• Pick a level, reachable spot for a temporary storage tank now, before you need it.
• Keep a short list of who to call: your well contractor, your veterinarian, and a licensed potable water hauler.
• Watch the state drought status and your county extension office for updates.

Farm Water Delivery Across New Jersey

A Clear Alternative delivers certified potable water to horse farms, dairies, beef and sheep operations, hobby farms and equestrian centers in all 21 New Jersey counties, from Sussex and Warren to Salem and Cape May. Check our service areas to confirm your location.

When to Call A Clear Alternative

Call us when your well shows signs of running short, when a pump fails and you are waiting on repairs, or when you want a backup plan in place before the next dry stretch. A Clear Alternative is a family-run company that has served New Jersey since 1991 from 9230 Collins Ave in Pennsauken, and our trucks operate under New Jersey potable water hauler license #0704582. Call 1-888-577-8088 or request a quote online with your location, the animals you are watering and the storage you have.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much water does a horse drink per day?

Rutgers NJAES puts an adult horse at up to 15 gallons a day, and two to three times more when it is working or exercising. Heat and dry hay also raise intake.

How much water does a cow need per day?

A dry dairy cow or beef cow needs about 15 gallons a day. A lactating dairy cow needs 15 to 35 gallons a day, according to Rutgers NJAES.

Are New Jersey farms exempt from drought water restrictions?

Agricultural water use, including water for livestock, is exempt from New Jersey drought restrictions when it follows best management practices, according to the NJ Department of Agriculture. The exemption does not help if your well itself runs dry.

How much water is in one delivery?

Our standard tanker carries 6,200 gallons. We can fill a storage tank, cistern or troughs, as long as the truck can reach within hose distance.

Can you deliver water to a farm with no storage tank?

Yes, we can fill troughs directly, but for most farms a food-grade storage tank that holds two to three days of water makes deliveries far less frequent.

Do you deliver livestock water in North Jersey?

Yes. A Clear Alternative delivers potable water to farms in all 21 New Jersey counties.