Producers taking part in a water quality meeting in Leader yesterday heard more about the importance of testing their water sources.

Regional Livestock Specialist Colby Elford says one of the things producers need to watch for is sulphate levels.

He notes we are already hearing reports of sick animals as a result of high sulphate levels:

"You could in severe cases get polio developing and animal blindness," Elford said. "If you do have higher sulphates in the water, you need to be sure livestock are on a mineral supplement program to ensure they're getting those essential trace nutrients."

If producers are seeing problems they should contact their veterinarian as soon as possible.

The recent hot, dry weather could result in the development of Blue Green Algae blooms forming in livestock dugouts.

Elford says the bacteria produce toxins which are quite harmful to livestock and could result in livestock death.

"Unfortunately it's not sort of a gradual sort of a thing," he said. "It's more immediate, so if you find an animal that's dead close to a body of water, it might be the case that it was caused by Blue Green Algae. It's more monitoring the water itself rather than the livestock throughout the grazing season."

Elford says there are preventative measures producers can use, noting information on that is available online or through your Livestock Specialist.