Dugout / Lagoon Volume Calculator

Measure length and width at the top of the dugout.
Length must be equal to or greater than the width.
Water depth must be equal to or less than depth of dugout.
Slope is the number of feet in the horizontal (run) direction for each foot in the vertical (rise) direction (eg. run/rise = 4 ft./1 ft.).

By entering the above information, this calculator will give you the capacity of the dugout and its contents in cubic feet, cubic yards, cubic meters, litres, Imperial and U.S. gallons. This is useful in determining the size of dugout necessary, estimating construction costs, and volumes remaining in the dugout.

Units : ft m Length of dugout: Width of dugout: Depth of dugout: Water depth (optional) : End Slope (run/rise) : Side Slope (run/rise) :

The dugout calculator uses the following formula for a prismoid to calculate the volume.

V = (d/6) x (A_t + A_b + 4 A_m)

where

A_t = L x W
A_b = (L - 2 x ES x d) (W - 2 x SS x d)
A_m = (L - ES x d)( W - SS x d)

definitions

V = Volume
d = depth of the dugout
A_t = Area of the top of the dugout
A_b = Area of the bottom of the dugout
A_m = Area of the midsection of the dugout
SS = slope of the sides of the dugout
ES = slope of the ends of the dugout
L = Length of the top of the dugout
W = Width of the top of the dugout

Prepared by
Rural Water Branch
Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation
Document Last Revised/Reviewed February 23, 2012