Drought and Sand Wash Basin

In July of 2020 Wild Horse Warriors paid for a contractor to rebuild Ash Pond.  The run off had created a new water channel that by passed the pond. Only a slight amount of water was actually getting to the pond.
Our donations paid for this repair and the pond is now one of the only water sources in Sand Wash Basin with water.

Our donations also paid to have SheepPen Pond rebuilt. There was a huge area that had been washed out. Once it fills with water the repaired pond could be the largest water source in Sand Wash Basin. Just need some rain or snow to fill it. 

This spring it had a small amount of water but is now almost dry. 

In Oct. Wild Horse Warriors and our volunteers sealed three ponds. The BLM supplied the salt, which in this soil is a sealant, and WHW supplied the equipment and the manpower.

Unfortunately our snow fall was so low that only one of the ponds we sealed presently has water.

Sheepherder's Spring is one of the water sources that needs continual repairs.  Last year, we added 4 new solar panels, sealed the old troughs and sealed the pond.
This spring we were delighted to see water in the pond.  We are hopeful that we will get some spring rain to keep it full. It is drying up quickly.

In 2018 your donations paid for 5 new tanks at Lake Draw.  WHW and volunteers installed them and they have been a major water source for the wild horses.

Each year there is some maintenance that is needed, and once or twice a week WHW adds a moss reducer to the water to prevent the moss from plugging the outflow connections.

For many years the well at the corrals in Sand Wash Basin was not functioning.  This year with a drought year in the forecast, WHW asked the BLM to fix the well.  Last week the BLM and a contractor fixed the pump.  The well is now producing 7-9 gallons of water a minute.  That is huge. We may still have to hire someone to haul the water from the corrals to other locations in the Basin, but we have the water to do that now!