28 May Lunch and Learn with Permaculture Expert Dick Pierce

Dick Pierce knows a lot about permaculture. He started his permaculture journey back in 1995, first studying with the Mayans in the Guatemalan highlands. I was lucky enough to be in the audience May 24 with Dick and several developers, planners, and city watershed protection personnel at the One Texas Center for an hour of education on water/stormwater best practices.

"How much stormwater run-off is acceptable in gallons per acre?"  Pierce said.  "Zero is the correct answer. The way to do it is to duplicate existing hydrology."

Insoak (or infiltration) methods are designed to allow stormwater to remain in the ground, percolating down and allowing for cleansing to occur before water rushes off into our sewers. The east side of Austin is mostly expansive clay, which makes infiltration harder, but not impossible. This can be done with swales, ponds, and water in detention areas, allowing for maximum "soakage." Developers and homeowners can improve their landscaping, increase their food supply by planting fruit trees, create more natural habitats for native species, and improve Austin water quality.

Pierce suggests planning for each permaculture element to serve multiple functions. For example, a rain garden stores and cleans water thereby reducing evaporation. It provides food, foliage, and creates a habitat for native plants and organisms. "In other words, be redundant when planning permaculture." Pierce said.

At least 6 inches of mulch and leaf litter are both good for insoak. Pierce suggests not removing leaves but placing them in your compost pile. "You want to cover de ground." In other words, placing ground cover or mulch over dry soil prevents further evaporation and less carbon is released into the atmosphere. The sun oxidizes carbon in topsoil, so on hot, bright sunny days when we've seen little rain, that carbon is released faster instead of nourishing plants. 

Building swales, or ditches, on your property can double the insoak capacity. A rock dam will allow for insoak within 36 hours. Any longer than that and you can kill your grass — or worse, attract mosquitos.

The newest LEED guidelines now include SSI, or Sustainable Sites Initiatives, such as creeks, ponds, trees, wetlands, swales, and rainwater collection. Terracing and contouring the landscape is a good way to slow water down too. When possible, sand is the best for insoak at 50%, and trees are best for water storage.

Sponsored by both the Capital Area Erosion Control Network and the City of Austin Watershed Protection Department,  Pierce hopes that soon, the storm drain will be nothing more than a historic relic.  As we move toward zero-waste in our landfills, let's also move toward zero runoff in our storm drains! Email DickPierceDesigns@gmail.com for additional information.