External Water Fresh water Tank

I know there are people around here who do it due to bad well water.

Well that’s about the only way rural folks with no well have running water. What would be your alternatives?
That said, presume you know what the nearby wells are doing (reviewed existing well logs before buying). If you have the likelihood of a low producing well, may as well (no pun intended) install your tank to serve as permanent water storage for the future when you’ll need a storage tank.

I use a 40-gallon water tank mounted in the back of my truck and transfer water with a Harbor Freight 12-volt water transfer pump.

In your case I think that I would get a couple 55-gallon barrows.

We stayed a couple of summers in Custer. Not uncommon at all to see locals with a big water tank in the back of their trucks. I am not sure if they were buying water for just filling up at the municipal supply. These were folks from the west side of the county near the Wyoming border. Not a lot of flowing water there.
Your idea is doable and actually works apparently.

corvettekent wrote:
I use a 40-gallon water tank mounted in the back of my truck and transfer water with a Harbor Freight 12-volt water transfer pump.

In your case I think that I would get a couple 55-gallon barrows.

Guess my assumption was that the OP would be spending significant time there, and in the summer. And he’s prepping for long term use.
A couple “barrows” would get him started but he’d need a way to haul water himself IE a truck and a couple more barrows. And would be getting more water very frequently.
Not to mention, summer use, hot sun and above ground storage tanks don’t mix well. Best case they’re a significant maintenance task. He!! Even the dogs outdoor water buckets needs the green slime cleaned out every week or 2 in the summer.

Horse doc is right. The custer highlands west of Custer are dry, too many caves in the limestone you can't drill wells there so everyone hauls water from Newcastle or Custer even for livestock.

Thanks for the info, I actually found a guy who fill the tank once I get it set up.
Or I may buy a tank and trailer if there is a municipal water supply for free.

Also not uncommon in AZ. If I was doing what you propose, I would mount the tank so the bottom was slightly higher than the RV tank fill and let gravity fill the fresh tank.

JCat wrote:
Thanks for the info, I actually found a guy who fill the tank once I get it set up.
Or I may buy a tank and trailer if there is a municipal water supply for free.

Friends in Montana have an old pickup bed converted to a trailer and a 350gal tank that they use to fill their cistern.

Parked it next to us when we stayed with them and we just used a submersable pump to fill the RV tank. After a week be barely made a dent into the big tank.

I think it costs them $5 to fill it up at the local fire station.

Bigger issue is what to do with waste water.

Again, poster Valhalla 360 makes an even more critical question about wastewater. SD law prohibits discharging surface discharge of human wastewater. The issue is concentration of waste soils, even if you are the only ones exposed to it. SD law requires treatment
While the fresh water issue may be settled with a tank and pump a septic system is required or a pump out to one. Think the Q ( Quartzsite desert)