Water meters were installed on the evaporative cooling system of a long, low-profile, cross-ventilated
dairy in the upper Midwest. The evaporative pad along the west side measured 10 by
350 ft. The water usage per unit surface area of the evaporative pad was 0.29 gallons/hour per
square foot of evaporative pad surface area. The total daily water usage per stall averaged 13 gallons
with a maximum of 22.7 gallons. Results from this study indicate that peak hourly water
usage may be as much as 3 times the average values. The evaporative pad efficiency was 65%
between noon and 0800 hours and 79% between midnight and 0400 hours.
