Sulfate concentrations in agricultural dugouts and ponds are currently one of the largest threats to water quality for cattle health on the prairies. In an examination of 100 dugouts across Saskatchewan over three years, Finlay found that one-quarter of the sites were of poor quality for cattle access, and nearly 10 per cent of dugouts were unsuitable. The sulfate concentrations in water are the result of many interacting regional and local factors. Across landscapes, sulfate levels in water are controlled by the surrounding geology that supplies the sulfur, and the patterns of water movement that potentially delivers it into a body of water.