Stumbled upon a great article by Permaculture News on swales.
Key Highlights on Swales:
- Swales are often used with ponds, dams, grey water systems, rainwater harvesting, and other water catchments.
- The goal is to pacify water that would otherwise create issues like erosion. Helping to capture silt, organic matter and nutrients. Preventing runoff.
- Once pacified we want to spread the water out over the landscape.
- Water should not be the only focus in swales. Trees are an important part. Swales should be viewed as a tree growing system. Trees are an important part of the water cycle. Leaf-fall helps retain moisture and the ground to suck up water.
- Over time swales help recharge groundwater and help the land become drought-resistant
- Start small when experimenting with swales and learn the fundamentals before moving on to larger projects
- Swales should not be used on hills with a fifteen-degree slope or greater due to possible slides
Video Showing the Swale Plume:
See a real life swale example by one of permacultures leaders Geof Lawton:
Read the full article by Permaculture News: http://permaculturenews.org/2017/03/31/use-swales-appropriately/
Photo by: Brian Boucheron
Last Updated on April 8, 2017 by Davin