24 Feb Where is YOUR water going?

In permaculture design, all resources are highly valued and studied carefully. One of the most valuable and scarce resources in our area is water. Central Texas has been in a drought for over 3 years now, as most of you have already experienced.

Photo credit: Ashworth College

Part of this problem is caused by runoff during major rain events. Our area generally experiences major rain events quite sporadically. When it rains it pours here, hard, and not very often. Generally, during these rapid, rushing rainfalls, most of the water that hits the ground runs right off into a major tributary in that part of your watershed, to a major river and then eventually pops out into the ocean. That amount of runoff can be as high as 96%, which is very common here with our thick, sometimes impermeable, clay soils and the rapid rate at which water falls out of the sky.

Another principle in permaculture design tells if there is a problem, we can find a solution! Everyone, and yes that means you, can make a lasting impact on the drought in their area. All one must do is take action on your property or anywhere in your community by choosing from a large variety of water saving and catching design systems and techniques.

I will give examples and instruction on techniques ranging from small, free, quick and easy solutions to large permanent and mildly expensive solutions, something for everyone. Permaculture design teaches us to start with small, executable solutions, and then expand to large projects. Start small and then go for the whole shebang!

Water runs through all property when it rains, duh. If you can slow down the speed of that water, a lot more of it will soak into the ground. When you put up barriers that run perpendicular to the flow of that water it will cause water to soak down along those points. This will actually help to grow anything on your property using less of your own water as well as help to restore the underground aquifer.

The first thing to measure on any piece of property, no matter how large or small, is the contour of the land. Even if the property may look flat, there is a contour line! Contours are the point at which the ground is level. See the diagram below of a contour map. It shows a hill with the contours measured out.

Photo credit: Trinity College

You can easily find these lines with a bunyip or an A frame level tool (link shows you how to make and use each one). Very little materials are needed for these, most of which you can probably find around the house. You can also purchase a laser leveler. These can run anywhere from $400-2000. Or if you’re lucky a friend might already own one!

Once you find a contour line you like you can start adding a structure to it. This ‘structure’ will cause the flow of water to slow and sink into the ground. If you would like to make a structure for the sole purpose of rejuvenating the aquifer and keeping water on your property, a dead barrier is a great place to start. You can create a dead barrier by lining any kind of organic material along your contour line. This material can consist of dead tree branches & twigs, rocks, or dirt.  People generally use this technique on large pieces of property as a method of soil and water conservation, but you can apply this anywhere and everywhere. This is a particularly useful method if the land does not currently have any soil on it. Sediment and other organic matter runs down with the flow of water as it rains. Over time your dead barrier, laid out on contour, will build up enough soil to start planting in! This can happen in as few as 2-3 years. That may seem like a long time, but if you’ve ever lived in rock solid caliche limestone you know building soil there sounds like black magic! But this method does work, simple as that. 😉

The second method of soil and water conservation for any piece of land is creating a berm and swale system on contour. This is essentially a garden bed and ditch. Find your contour line just as you would with the dead barrier. Once you have found your contour line in a spot where you would like to put your garden bed, start digging! The swale can be as small as 4’ wide and 10’ long and is situated uphill of the berm. The swale is the ditch portion of the structure. The berm is the raised bed planting space portion of the system. If you would like detailed instruction visit a Permablitz or read about it here.

Photo credit: kermaculture.org

It is best to plant drought resistant and native plants. There are many different places to acquire and learn about such plants. My personal favorites are the Natural Gardener http://www.naturalgardeneraustin.com/ and Hill Country Natives http://hillcountrynatives.net/. See below a berm and swale system built on contour with perennial plants and native and cultivated fruit and nut trees. This system was created at a Permablitz.

Photo credit: Taelor Monroe

Now that we have covered some very easy methods of passive water catchment, we can delve into some serious bonafied methods of direct water catchment and water re-use.

Where else can you find hoards of water coming from on your property? The roof! By catching and using water from your roof you will decrease the amount of water taken from city water resources (the aquifer), and have cleaner, fresher water to nourish your body and your plants! Rainwater is also free of fluoride and chlorine, two of the most harmful chemicals found in treated city water. Rainwater harvesting is one of the most cost efficient ways of paying for your water. You can calculate how much water you can collect off of your own roof here.

There are many methods of rainwater catchment. All you need, for the most minimal and inexpensive method, are a roof and an International Bulk Container (IBC totes). IBC totes are popular because you can obtain them, most of the time, for free and it takes less time and money to make this system functional. Just make sure the liquid contained in them before coming to you was edible. Put a tote at every major spot on your roof where water comes down and there you have it! You can simply cute the top off of the tote with a metal saw. You will need to cover the tote with netting anytime it is not raining if you don’t want to attract mosquitoes. But, if you would like to catch water more efficiently you need to have gutters! Gutters are very useful for rainwater catchment. It would be ideal to have them for all methods of water catchment but they aren’t entirely necessary which is a common misconception about water catchment.

Photo credit: zombiehunters.org

If you already have gutters installed on your house or the building you are adding catchment to that’s wonderful. If not you can read directions on how to do so here. As with any other rain water catchment tanks you also need to make sure the ground is level. You can level the ground yourself using your bunyip, A frame leveler, or laser leveler as previously mentioned. Another tip for any kind of water catchment is to paint it with black or very dark paint if it is inherently light in color. This inhibits light from getting through which defers algae from growing inside of it. You can find detailed instructions for water catchment here.

Another common container for water catchment is a polypropylene water catchment tank. This method is used often because it is also quite inexpensive, it is portable (you can take it with you if you have to move), and it is less time intensive compared to other methods. You can find detailed instructions on how to install one of these systems here or you can contact me to connect you to a local installer. My information is listed at the bottom of this blog.

Photo credit: rwh.in

The last kind of container for rainwater catchment systems I will mention is the ferrocement rainwater collection jars. Don’t let the name ‘jar’ fool you, these can be seriously massive systems! These jars are highly cost efficient per gallon but are more labor intensive than the other methods. They also are not mobile but they can be made to hold as much as 30,000 gallons or sometimes more! You can certainly create one of these systems yourself, or you can always consult with me on finding a local installer. If you would like to create your own see this manual from Brad Lancaster.

Photo credit: Dani Slabaugh

All of these methods are highly important in any water conservation design for your property or any other piece of land. I have just outlined some of the basics to soil and water conservation but there are certainly many more to utilize and choose from. Some other methods include grey water systems, black water systems, and composting toilets. I will go into more detail about these systems at a later time. You can learn more about permaculture design and practice at the two week intensive Permaculture Design Course I am organizing and teaching this June 2-15. Please feel free to contact me for any questions or consulting.

Cheers!

Taelor Monroe

Monroe.taelor@gmail.com

“Though the problems of the would are increasingly complex, the solutions remain embarrassingly simple.”

-Bill Mollison, founder of permaculture