Related links:

Grazing land stocking rates

Livestock species selection

Management Activity

Livestock that have free access to natural watercourses and dams may impact both on the water quality and the riparian area.  The severity of the impacts depends on the duration and timing of use, stocking numbers and the nature of the waterway.  The primary means of impact are direct deposit of animal wastes into the water, deposit of manure where it can be washed into the waterway, streambank trampling, streambed trampling, siltation of the waterway and removal of riparian vegetation.

The direct impacts of livestock access to waterways may include:

• Reduced riparian vegetation
• Stream bank and bed degradation
• Contamination of waterways
  • Increased water nutrient concentrations
  • Increased water faecal contamination
  • Increased water chemical contamination
  • Reduced water dissolved oxygen
  • Livestock health problems, such as: foot-rot, exposure to pathogens  and toxins e.g. blue-green algae and reduced intake of water due to poor quality, leading to reduced feed conversion and productivity.