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Developing quality livestock water throughout the ranges of the Midwest continues to be a challenge.�� Water development through the years has increased productivity through improved grazing distribution.�� Much of the water developed has employed the use of relatively small water impoundments or �farm ponds.��� However, allowing cattle free access to ponds speeds the sedimentation of ponds, and the fouling of the water through defecation and urination provides nutrients which encourage the growth of the toxic blue green algae � a problem that is becoming rampant throughout the Midwest. Limiting cattle access to ponds reduces sedimentation, extending the useful life of the pond, and protects water quality by greatly reducing the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen present in the water.� These nutrients, principally phosphorus, aid the growth of toxic blue green algae. Cattle access can be limited by the use of a watering tank or trough downslope of the pond dam, or by the use of an access lane with a hardened surface that allows cattle access to only a small portion of the pond. Cattle prefer clean water and avoid steep, muddy approaches to water sources.� Limiting cattle access to a pond by developing a fenced watering point with a hardened surface is cost effective, and solves the concerns associated with un-limited access. �Similarly, a tank downslope of the pond dam and gravity fed is also very effective if the elevation difference is sufficient to allow adequate water flow.