Pig World
  • News
      • Animal Health
      • Breeding
      • Business
      • Environment
      • EU
      • Food Safety
      • Housing
      • Marketing
      • NPA
      • National Pig Awards
      • New Products
      • Nutrition
      • People
      • Pig Fair
      • Politics
      • Training & Education
      • Welfare
  • Features
    • Animal Health
    • Breeding
    • Environment
    • Farm Visits
    • Herd Recording
    • Housing
    • Marketing
    • Nutrition
    • Products
    • Training
  • Comment
    • AHDB Pork
    • Chris Fogden
    • Dennis Bridgeford
    • Peter Crichton
    • Red Robin
    • Veterinary View
    • Zoe Davies, NPA
  • Numbers
  • Pig Prices
  • Magazines
    • July 2025
    • June 2025
    • 2025 Innovation supplement
    • May 2025
    • April 2025
    • March 2025
    • 2025 Buildings supplement
    • February 2025
    • 2025 Nutrition Supplement
    • January 2025
    • December 2024
    • November 2024
    • 2025 National Pig Awards supplement
    • October 2024
    • September 2024
    • August 2024
    • 2024 Pig Health supplement
    • July 2024
    • June 2024
    • 2024 Innovation supplement
    • 2024 Pig & Poultry Fair Guide
    • May 2024
    • April 2024
    • 2024 Buildings Supplement
    • March 2024
    • 2024 Pig Nutrition supplement
    • February 2024
    • January 2024
    • December 2023
    • November 2023
    • 2023 National Pig Awards supplement
    • October 2023
    • September 2023
    • Health Supplement
  • Suppliers
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Classified
  • Events
    • Pigs Tomorrow
    • National Pig Awards
Podcast
Pig WorldPig World
  • News
      • Animal Health
      • Breeding
      • Business
      • Environment
      • EU
      • Food Safety
      • Housing
      • Marketing
      • NPA
      • National Pig Awards
      • New Products
      • Nutrition
      • People
      • Pig Fair
      • Politics
      • Training & Education
      • Welfare
  • Features
    • Animal Health
    • Breeding
    • Environment
    • Farm Visits
    • Herd Recording
    • Housing
    • Marketing
    • Nutrition
    • Products
    • Training
  • Comment
    • AHDB Pork
    • Chris Fogden
    • Dennis Bridgeford
    • Peter Crichton
    • Red Robin
    • Veterinary View
    • Zoe Davies, NPA
  • Numbers
  • Pig Prices
  • Magazines
    1. July 2025
    2. June 2025
    3. 2025 Innovation supplement
    4. May 2025
    5. April 2025
    6. March 2025
    7. 2025 Buildings supplement
    8. February 2025
    9. 2025 Nutrition Supplement
    10. January 2025
    11. December 2024
    12. November 2024
    13. 2025 National Pig Awards supplement
    14. October 2024
    15. September 2024
    16. August 2024
    17. 2024 Pig Health supplement
    18. July 2024
    19. June 2024
    20. 2024 Innovation supplement
    21. 2024 Pig & Poultry Fair Guide
    22. May 2024
    23. April 2024
    24. 2024 Buildings Supplement
    25. March 2024
    26. 2024 Pig Nutrition supplement
    27. February 2024
    28. January 2024
    29. December 2023
    30. November 2023
    31. 2023 National Pig Awards supplement
    32. October 2023
    33. September 2023
    34. Health Supplement
    Featured

    July 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    July 6, 2025
    Recent

    July 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    July 6, 2025

    June 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    June 4, 2025

    2025 Innovation supplement now available

    June 4, 2025
  • Suppliers
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Classified
  • Events
    • Pigs Tomorrow
    • National Pig Awards
LinkedIn X (Twitter)
Pig World
Environment

As pure as driven snow

PW ReportersBy PW ReportersJuly 8, 20134 Mins Read
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email

Sam Walton has been to see a North Yorkshire company that specialises in securing private water supplies for businesses across Britain

The very name Dales Water conjures up a picture of sparklingly fresh pure water. Visiting the firm at its Ripon HQ confirms that idea, and there are dozens of their clients who can vouch for that. Two fathers and sons, Nick and Chris Dodds and Eric and Jonathan Dalton, are the directors behind Dales Water Services Ltd, and with many years of experience between them, each has their own responsibilities at the firm.
Established in 1979, Dales Water offers a complete private water supply service. This includes borehole prognosis, borehole drilling for both water and heating, abstraction licensing, pumping installations, pump testing, water analysis and treatment, water pipelines and water well maintenance among other services. Many of the company’s clients are livestock farmers, including more and more pig farmers on both indoor and outdoor units.
As water increases in price, more businesses, and that also includes food factories and processing plants, are beginning to realise that it makes sound economic sense to look at the possibilities of having their own private water supply. Water is important and an expensive resource that’s easily influenced by infrastructure and climate. Many pig farmers end up with an expensive, inadequate supply that’s restricted in times of good weather.
If you apply for a borehole, you’ll receive a visit to determine the underlying geology of the site. Not everywhere in the UK is suitable as areas where rocks have undergone high levels of pressure, heating and where pore spaces in the rocks have been squeezed out
are not going to be viable for boreholes. In these instances, however, spring water
supplies may exist that can be exploited.
Fortunately, vast areas of our countryside lie on top of rocks of a porous nature, referred to as aquifers, where pore spaces and fractures in the rocks exist and consequently a huge amount of water is present. These aquifers apparently act like giant rain harvesting tanks, only they’re bigger, are not subject to surface contamination and are capable of producing water during dry periods when conventional rain water harvesting is inadequate.
This is why Dales Water carries out comprehensive research to identify the potential of a continual water supply. The depth of a well is also dependent on geology so you don’t drill too shallow a bore that might dry out. On average, boreholes across the UK will be approximately 60-70m in depth, but of course do vary.
The underlying geology of the site will also influence the water quality that’s provided. There are drinking water standards, set by the Drinking Water Inspectorate, for water for human consumption, but pigs are much more tolerant and can safely drink poorer quality water. If, after testing, it’s found that the water is still not of a suitable quality, treatment systems exist that can result in a suitable water supply. This just means the capital expenditure is a bit higher and takes a bit longer to recover.
Visiting Dales Water was fascinating and I learned much that I hadn’t previously thought about. In the UK, for example, all the water that falls is technically owned by the Government. It’s this fact that allows it to retain control over water, meaning no-one can dam a river, harvest the water and cause a user downstream to have no water.
However the UK Government has realised that we’re, relatively speaking, a water-rich country, so in 2005 it deregulated controlled water abstractions, including those from boreholes, to allow some water abstraction to take place without obtaining an abstraction licence. No licence is now required if you take less than 20,000 litres/day in England and Wales or 10,000 litres/day in Scotland.
It falls to the farmer, with the assistance of any good drilling company, to establish what their particular circumstance is. If they’re a smaller producer they may well fall into the deregulated category, but in most circumstances the modern pig farmer will require an abstraction licence simply because water is used for so many purposes.
The nitty gritty of costs versus savings is an interesting one. Typically, mains water costs between £1.20-1.50 per cubic metre. Water from the borehole is free, however running and maintaining the system will typically cost 10-40p per cubic metre.

Share. LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Email
Previous ArticleDavid Black Award nominations still open
Next Article Tulip announces job losses
PW Reporters

Read Similar Stories

What you need to know about ammonia emissions factors

February 12, 2025

Sustainability and profitability going hand in hand

December 10, 2024

AHDB trial highlights falling ammonia emissions and saves pig industry millions

December 6, 2024
Latest News

ABN kicks off pioneering long-term mill project

July 11, 2025

Red Tractor to press ahead with new tiers for outdoor pig producers

July 10, 2025

Last chance to enter or nominate for 2025 National Pig Awards

July 10, 2025
Sponsored Content

THE GATEKEEPER OF RESPIRATORY HEALTH – MYCOPLASMA HYOPNEUMONIAE (M.HYO)

April 30, 2024

Tackle the root cause of PWD with free diagnostic tests

March 1, 2024
Current Pig Industry jobs
  • Senior-Level Pig Stockperson – Ref 1760 Hampshire

    • Hampshire
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Pig Stockperson – Ref 1759 North Yorkshire

    • North Yorkshire
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Pig Stockperson – Ref 1758 Norfolk

    • Norfolk
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
GETTING IN TOUCH
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Meet The Editors
  • About Us
  • Email Newsletters
  • Subscribe
  • Reuse permissions
OUR SOCIAL CHANNELS
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
PARTNER EVENTS
RELATED SITES
  • Farmers Weekly
  • Agronomist & Arable Farmer
  • Farm Contractor
  • National Pig Awards
  • Pigs Tomorrow
  • Poultry News
  • Weekly Tribune
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
© 2024 MA Agriculture Ltd, a Mark Allen Group company

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.