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Water Safety on Farms

Farms have many places where water gathers, and each one is a hazard for a child. Safety comes from layers: barriers, supervision, teaching and trained adults.

Where is the water on a farm?

Ponds are the obvious ones, but a farm may also have ditches, creeks, irrigation canals, stock tanks, manure storage, wells, cisterns, pools and buckets. Even a small amount of water can be a hazard for a very young child.

Walk the farm and list every place water collects, including seasonal ones, such as low spots after rain or snowmelt channels.

Check the CDC and the American Red Cross for current official information on drowning prevention. Water hazards also change with the farm's activity. A temporary pit, a trench dug for repairs or a tub left out after cleaning can be as risky as a permanent pond.

What does prevention look like in principle?

Use more than one layer. A barrier keeps children away. A named adult watches when children are near water. Children learn the rules. Adults learn first aid and CPR. Each layer covers weaknesses in the others.

Rank water hazards by how serious the harm could be and how easily a child could reach them, then deal with the top ones first.

Your extension office can help with ideas, and local rules may apply to pools and ponds. Children from other households may not know your property, so introduce them to the rules and boundaries as soon as they arrive.

• Barriers around water
• A named supervisor
• Rules taught to children
• First aid and CPR for adults

How do barriers help?

A barrier with a latching gate that children cannot open can keep young children away from water when no adult is present. Get details on design from your extension office, a fencing professional or your local authority. Rules about pool barriers vary by location.

Cover wells and cisterns securely and keep covers in good repair. Empty buckets and tubs when not in use.

Check barriers and covers regularly. Ask your local authority about requirements for fencing pools and ponds, since they vary and may change over time.

What about supervision?

Supervision means a named adult is watching, close enough to act, and free of other tasks. Trouble in water can be fast and silent, and a quick phone call can be enough of a lapse.

At gatherings, agree who is watching the children in turn. Do not assume someone else is doing it.

Life jackets can help, as the American Red Cross and manufacturers explain, but they do not replace supervision. Pay particular attention to children around water at the end of the day, when adults are tired and children may slip out of sight.

What should children learn?

Teach children that water is off limits without an adult, in every season. Explain that ice may not be safe, that banks can be slippery and that they should never go in after a toy or a pet.

Teach them to call an adult if someone is in trouble, rather than trying to help alone.

Swimming lessons from a qualified instructor are valuable, though they do not make a child safe around water. Ask the Red Cross about lessons near you. If your child is learning to swim, tell the instructor about the water on your farm so lessons can address it, and keep up supervision regardless of swimming skill.

How should adults prepare for emergencies?

Know how to call 911 and give your address and directions. Keep a phone with you when children are near water. Make sure other adults know the plan.

Take a first aid and CPR course from a recognized provider such as the American Red Cross or your local fire department. Hands-on training teaches what an article cannot.

If a child is in trouble in water, call 911 first. Do not enter the water unless you are trained and it is safe to do so. Keep the phone, address and directions near the places where children play, and practice with older children so they know what to say.

How do the seasons change the risk?

Spring brings runoff and high water, summer brings the wish to cool off, fall brings leaf-covered edges, and winter brings ice. Each calls for a fresh look at barriers and rules.

Review your water hazards at the start of each season and after storms. Remind children, and tell visitors.

Talk with neighbors and relatives about water on their land, since children visit those places too. Consider a short checklist for each season, covering barriers, covers and rules, and tape it where you will see it, such as the back door.

Last reviewed: November 12, 2026. Written by the Farm Safety Editorial Team. See our editorial policy.