In the dry West, water decides where wildlife can live. Desert bighorn sheep in Arizona's Sonoran Desert, mule deer in Utah's Great Basin ranges, elk in eastern Nevada and pronghorn in west Texas all face the same problem: rain is scarce, natural springs and tinajas are shrinking, and droughts are getting longer.
For decades, state wildlife agencies, federal refuges, ranchers and sportsmen's groups have answered with artificial water: wells, windmills, diesel pumps and rain-catchment guzzlers. Today, solar-powered submersible pumps are becoming the tool of choice. They lift groundwater from deep wells in places with no grid, no road for fuel trucks, and no one on site to start a generator.
This post looks at how solar wildlife waterholes work, where they are already making a difference, how to design one that is safe for animals, and why good conservation means putting water in the right places, not everywhere.
How a solar wildlife waterhole works
A solar waterhole uses the same parts as a solar irrigation system, arranged so the animals get the water and never the equipment:
Solar array → Pump controller → Submersible pump → Storage tank → Float valve → Wildlife drinker
Solar panels power a controller that runs a submersible pump in the well. The pump fills a storage tank during the day, and a float valve keeps the drinker topped up by gravity, day and night. Panels, wellhead, controller and tank sit inside a protective fence; only the drinker, shallow and fitted with an escape ramp, is open to wildlife. Because the tank holds several days of water, the drinker stays full through cloudy weather without batteries.
Where wildlife water is already working in the US
Arizona: deer, elk and bighorn
Arizona has built wildlife water catchments since the 1940s and 1950s, starting with quail hunters and expanding as deer, bobcats and bighorn sheep used them too (Cronkite News). The Arizona Deer Association has converted old diesel-powered and abandoned wells to solar; one converted well on the O'Haco Ranch now supplies water across more than 30 miles for elk, deer and livestock (TerrePower release). At Yuma Proving Ground, 25 wildlife drinkers serve Sonoran pronghorn and one of the state's largest bighorn populations, and solar-powered sensors now track water levels continuously (U.S. Army).
Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge: endangered Sonoran pronghorn
The endangered Sonoran pronghorn's US range has no natural year-round water the animals are likely to use, so managers built wildlife waters and supplemental forage to carry them through hot, dry summers (CLIMAS, University of Arizona). On Cabeza Prieta, underground pipes carry water from Papago Well to nearby drinkers, and irrigated forage plots give pronghorn green feed during drought (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service). These are exactly the kind of remote well-and-pipeline jobs where solar pumping fits.
Nevada and Utah: guzzler networks for bighorn and mule deer
Across the Great Basin, state agencies and volunteers build guzzlers in partnership with groups like the Mule Deer Foundation and Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn. In eastern Nevada, guzzlers south of Ely now supply reliable water for roughly 500 elk plus mule deer and bighorn (Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation). In dry years, though, the Nevada Department of Wildlife has had to haul water to guzzlers to keep bighorn alive (Pahrump Valley Times). A solar well that refills a guzzler from groundwater can cut those costly emergency hauls.
West Texas: Big Bend
In southern Brewster County, the Mule Deer Foundation, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas Bighorn Society and others built a guzzler that captures over 1,000 gallons of water for each inch of rain, benefiting land that borders Black Gap Wildlife Management Area and Big Bend National Park (OWAA).
Why solar beats diesel and windmills out here
| Solar pump | Diesel pump | Windmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel and site visits | None; runs on its own | Regular fuel runs, often by truck or helicopter | None, but needs regular mechanical checks |
| Noise and disturbance | Silent | Loud, disturbs animals and visitors | Quiet but visible moving parts |
| Pollution risk | None at the site | Fuel spills and exhaust | None |
| Works on calm, hot days | Best output in sun | Yes | Output drops when the wind dies |
| Maintenance | Low; few moving parts | Engine servicing and rebuilds | Leathers, rods and gearbox wear |
The fuel cost alone can be decisive. The Arizona Deer Association has said ranchers converting wells to solar avoid yearly fuel bills of $16,000 to $18,000, and that remote sites are chosen so crews rarely need to return (TerrePower release). Before that well on the O'Haco Ranch went solar, diesel fuel from the generator had killed the grass for about 50 yards around it.
Silence matters too. Wary species like bighorn and pronghorn avoid noisy, busy sites, and on a refuge or wilderness-adjacent property a humming generator is out of place. And unlike hauling water by truck or helicopter during drought, a solar well keeps working on its own.
Designing a waterhole that is safe for wildlife
A livestock trough and a wildlife water point are not the same thing. Good wildlife designs share a few features.
- Escape ramps. Birds, bats, small mammals and reptiles drown in steep-sided troughs. Fit a rough-surfaced ramp or sloped edge so anything that falls in can climb out.
- Shallow edges and varied depth. A gently sloping drinker lets quail, doves and small mammals drink safely while deer, elk and bighorn use the deeper section.
- Protect the hardware, not the water. Cattle, wild horses and burros, elk and bears can trample pipes, push over tanks and damage panels. Fence the array, controller, wellhead and tank, and keep the drinker outside the enclosure. Use anti-theft fasteners on panels at remote sites.
- Keep cattle out where needed. Where wildlife and livestock share range, a pipe-rail or let-down fence around the drinker can exclude cattle while letting deer and bighorn through.
- Float valves and overflow control. A float valve in the drinker and a float switch in the tank prevent waste and stop pooling and mud around the site.
- Keep the water clean. Shade the tank, clean out debris and algae, and site the drinker where runoff will not wash in dung or silt.
- Place it with care. Put drinkers away from roads and human activity, with clear sight lines so bighorn and pronghorn can watch for predators. Spread water points out rather than clustering them.
- Monitor remotely. Solar-powered level sensors and trail cameras reduce site visits and show which species use the water and when.
- Check land rules. On BLM, Forest Service and refuge land, and especially in designated wilderness, new water developments need agency approval and environmental review. Partner with your state wildlife agency early.
More water is not always better
Artificial water is a powerful management tool, but in the US it is also a contested one, especially in designated wilderness.
The best-known case is Arizona's Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. In 2007, the US Fish and Wildlife Service built two water tanks for desert bighorn inside the Kofa Wilderness, and wilderness groups sued (PEER). A federal appeals court later found the tanks violated the Wilderness Act because the agency had not adequately shown they were truly necessary for the sheep (University of Montana Public Land and Resources Law Review). Hunting and wildlife groups, on the other hand, argued that drought was a major cause of the sheep's decline and that permanent water would help counter it (Hunting Life). Similar tension exists on Cabeza Prieta, where wilderness advocates object to building waters for Sonoran pronghorn (CLIMAS).
The science is still catching up. Researchers have noted that the benefit of desert catchments was assumed for decades rather than measured, though studies in New Mexico and Arizona have found more small-mammal abundance and diversity near water developments (Rich et al., Journal of Wildlife Management). Water also has to be in the right spot: Utah's wildlife agency notes that guzzlers must be designed and placed where mule deer will actually use them (Utah WRI).
The practical takeaway for managers:
- Add water where natural sources have been lost to development, groundwater decline or climate change, not simply where animals would be easiest to see.
- Spread water points out and avoid blanketing a landscape with permanent water.
- Consider rotating water points on and off so vegetation can recover.
- Monitor grazing pressure and wildlife use, and be ready to adjust.
Solar makes this easier. A solar pump can be switched off, moved or scaled down far more easily than a dam or a grid connection, which suits a managed, adaptive approach.
Recommended RockSolar kits for wildlife waterholes
Most wildlife water points need a steady trickle into a tank, not a high-volume flood, so a modest pump on a well-sized array is usually enough. The deciding number is total dynamic head: the depth to water plus the lift to the tank plus pipe friction. Each kit below pairs a DC brushless submersible pump and controller with 445 W solar panels and carries a 5-year pump warranty.
| Kit | Max head | Flow | Solar panels | From | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.4 HP Solar Submersible Pump + Solar Panel Kit | 130 ft | 15.3 GPM | 1 × 445 W | $899.99 | Shallow wells, springs and catchment tanks |
| 0.8 HP Solar Submersible Pump + Solar Panel Kit | 290 ft | 15.6 GPM | 2 × 445 W | $1,199.99 | A single drinker on a moderately deep well |
| 1.61 HP Solar Submersible Pump + Solar Panel Kit | 391 ft | 17.4 GPM | 4 × 445 W | $1,999.99 | Deeper desert wells |
| 2.41 HP Solar Submersible Pump + Solar Panel Kit | 574 ft | 16.1 GPM | 6 × 445 W | $2,499.99 | Very deep wells or pipelines feeding several drinkers |
Two other options suit special cases. The 0.8 HP Hybrid Solar DC/AC Submersible Pump switches to AC or generator power automatically when sunlight is low, for sites that must never run dry. The 0.8 HP Cattle & Ranch package adds a 48 V battery and four 440 W panels for shared wildlife and livestock water.
Figures are for each kit's base option; prices were current at the time of writing. Check the product pages for current pricing and availability.
The bottom line
From bighorn sheep in the Sonoran Desert to elk in eastern Nevada and mule deer in Big Bend country, solar-powered well pumps can keep wildlife water flowing in places diesel and the grid cannot reach. They are silent, fuel-free and low-maintenance, and they can be switched off or moved as conservation needs change. Designed with escape ramps, protected hardware and careful placement, and built with your state wildlife agency and land manager on board, a solar water point can carry wildlife through drought without overwhelming the land around it.
Managing a ranch, refuge, hunting property or conservation easement? Gather your well depth, static water level, well yield and how far the water must travel, and talk to a solar pumping specialist about the right kit.
Sources
- Arizona wildlife water catchments, Cronkite News
- Arizona Deer Association solar conversions, TerrePower
- Wildlife water drinkers at Yuma Proving Ground, U.S. Army
- Cabeza Prieta NWR, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
- Hunting for Black Gold: Sonoran pronghorn waters, CLIMAS
- Nevada guzzlers for elk near Ely, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
- NDOW water hauls for bighorn, Pahrump Valley Times
- West Texas guzzler project, OWAA
- Kofa Wilderness water tanks, PEER
- Kofa case note, Public Land and Resources Law Review
- Kofa ruling coverage, Hunting Life
- Water catchments and desert wildlife, Rich et al.
- Brigham Face WMA guzzler, Utah WRI