Cuivre River Park Equine Waterer
In the fall of 2006, Randy Becknell, park director at the Cuivre River Park facility near Troy, Mo., became convinced that an alternative watering source was needed along a remote trail making up the 18 miles of equestrian trails in the Cuivre River Park.
“We had some concerns brought to our attention by folks in the area that equestrian activities could potentially damage or impede the creek,” explains Becknell. “We tested the water and found it to be fine. But we wanted to be proactive in providing a facility to make it easy for horses to get water and still stay out of the surface water.”
The park’s equestrian trails are a popular draw to the area, with as many as 250 horses and riders enjoying the park on a busy weekend.
The challenge park officials faced was the lack of electrical power running to the remote areas of the park where the watering system was needed. So Becknell and his staff sought the help of contacts at the Missouri Department of Natural Resources about alternative energy systems and the possible availability of a clean energy grant. Roger Korenberg of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Energy Center helped guide them through the grant application process and eventually put the park management in contact with Henry Rentz, vice president of installation services for St. Louis-based Farmergy Inc., to carry out the installation.
Rentz—a life long rancher and general contractor— developed a solar powered water pump system to deliver the water from the natural water source nearby and installed the system over two days in May 2007.
The actual horse waterer, manufactured by Hoskins, required some customization so that water could be made available when needed but drain out when not in use to keep it from freezing over. The internal float system was replaced with a foot peddle to turn the water pump on and off.
To keep the surface pump system out of easy reach of the public and away from vegetation on the banks of the water source, the pump was mounted on a set of dock floats out in the water. A 4 foot by 5 foot deck was floated on the docks that contained the 9300 SureFlo pump and well shaft suspended down the center of the float. The pump is powered by two 40-watt Evergreen solar (PV) panels.
“The park was fortunate to receive a grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources that helped cover the project costs,” notes Rentz. “Many states offer similar incentives to encourage the use of renewable energy. Farms and businesses in rural locations are ideally situated to take advantage of these new technologies and incentive programs. Farmergy can help them through the planning and implementation process.”
Following the waterer installation, a staging area for horses was installed in front. The 20 foot by 30 foot area is made up of a geo-erosion grid filled with rock to mitigate run off and erosion from overflow or traffic.
If you are in need of alternative power in a remote location for watering livestock or powering utilities, call the energy system experts at Farmergy at 888-838-0042.
