Guidelines for Livestock Drinking Water Quality

Parameters	Maximum acceptable milligrams per litre (ppm)
Major Ions & Nutrients	Livestock	Humans
Calcium
Nitrate plus nitrate	1000	---
Nitrate alone	100	11
Sulphate	10	1
Total dissolved solids	1000	500
	3000	500
Heavy Metals and Trace Ions
Aluminum	5	---
Arsenic	0.025	0.025
Beryllium	0.1	---
Boron	5	5
Cadmium	0.08	0.005
Chromium	0.05	0.05
Cobalt	1	---
Copper	1	cattle
	5	swine/poultry
	0.5	sheep
Fluoride	2	1.5
Iron	---	0.3
Lead	0.1	0.01
Manganese	---	0.05
Mercury	0.003	0.001
Molybdenum	0.5	---
Nickel	1	---
Selenium	0.05	0.01
Uranium	0.2	0.02
Vanadium	0.1	---
Zinc	50	5

Note --- indicates no guideline

Typical Livestock Water Consumption Levels
Dairy (litres/day)		Beef (litres/day)
Dry cows	40	Dry cows	35
Lactating	100	Lactating	55
Yearling Heifers	30	Yearling Heifers	30
		Feedlot animals	50
Swine (litres/day)
Sows	25	Poultry (litres/day)
Weaners	2.5	Broilers	140
Growing-finishing	7	Layers	190
		Turkeys	700

Notes

(1) All intake levels are subject to large variation related to environmental temperature, humidity, water quality and availability, diet composition and animal performance level.
(2) Animals consuming wet feeds such as by-products, pasture or silages will drink considerably less water than indicated above.
Compiled by Murray Snowdon, NBAFA, 2000. Updated in 2008.