Water

Today, upon arrival at the trough to check if the siphon was working, Ev and I were both stunned to find that, in fact, the water was working!!! All week long we've been having to prime the siphon every morning so that the cows could water. Today, that changed.

In the Picnic Grounds there are three troughs, of which the lower two can feed from a siphon that drains from a storage pond at the top of the field. The pond gets its water from a tank higher up, that, in turn, gets its water from a creek. To get the siphon to work we have to pressurize the water line going down to the troughs with water from the tank. Once the line is pressurized and air has been forced out, we shut off the water at the tank. Next, we turn a valve at the pond that opens the 20 foot line that leads to the base of the pond. In doing so, the force of gravity pulling the water down to the troughs sucks water out of the pond, finalizing the pressurized line.

For the past week we've been watering the cows through this process. Every morning we've found the troughs with about a third of the water in them, meaning that some how the pressure in the line got air in it and broke the siphon.

Today, to my amazment, the water worked. Tomorrow.... is tomorrow.