Back From the Drought with a Vengeance; Water Flows of Zaytuna Farm February, 2020

To learn more about permaculture watch the Permaculture Masterclass, a 4-part documentary-style film, here: www.discoverpermaculture.com/....
Back from the drought with a vengeance, over 300 ml of rain has fallen on Zaytuna Farm, and Geoff is taking us on a rough-cut ramble tour of some of the property’s water systems. Water flows on Zaytuna Farm come from the west moving east to join a creek flowing south. Some dams are linked to swales, some aren’t and have their own spillways. Either way, each water catchment feeds into another system downhill, and swivel pipes have been installed throughout the water systems to control water levels so that swales can function both as water harvesting systems and flood mitigation.
The tour starts at the top swale on the property, a wide 400-meter run, where Geoff releases water from it via (1) swivel pipe. This swale now feeds down to a little key point dam, “plug in the hole”, which overflows at a conventional spillway to fill another dam that backs up into (and is feed by) a swale. He turns this (2) swivel pipe and allows the water to move on down the landscape into another dam that feeds into another dam where another (3) swivel pipe allows the top of this water to feed into a system further down into the mid-slopes.
These mid-slope swales are full, so another (4) swivel pipe allows water into swales downslope, which are full as well, steadily meandering over a level sill, so the water level can be brought down with a-you guessed it-(5) swivel pipe. This time we’ve fed into a large swale with two swivel pipes (6 & 7) that discharge into a new swale, built in the earthworks course last year and experiencing its first water ever. And, this swale has a pipe, not yet equipped with a swivel, that empties it into a lotus paddy with ducks. The lotus (or rice) paddy also has a (8) swivel pipe that sets its water level and fills the chinampas before the water finally moves onto the bottom dam. The drought is over, and the ensuing flood has been mitigated.
To learn more about Permaculture Earthworks, Geoff has three face-to-face courses coming up in 2020:
Permaculture Earthworks & Design Workshop 22nd - 26th Of June 2020 in Loomis, Washington USA: zaytunafarm.com/product/perma...
Permaculture Earthworks & Design Workshop 4th - 6th of July 2020 in McMinnville, Tennessee, USA: zaytunafarm.com/product/geoff...
Earthworks & Water Harvesting Course 24th of August to the 4th September 2020 at Zaytuna Farm, Australia: zaytunafarm.com/product/earth...
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About Geoff:
Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher. He has established permaculture demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world’s extreme climates - information on the success of these systems is networked through the Permaculture Research Institute and the www.permaculturenews.org website.
About Permaculture:
Permaculture integrates land, resources, people and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies - imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.
#permaculture #permaculturedesign #waterharvesting

[@LureThosePixels]

Everyone with property downstream of this farm must be so grateful for all the water regeneration!

[@LeJimster]

Damn, that's a lot of water being trapped and soaked into the landscape. Incredible.

[@xyzsame4081]

30 cm or 12 inches within short time, for the well prepared farmer such an intense rain is a blessing, not a curse (you bet the neighbours that did not bother to adopt permaculture practices, or can't afford to because they do not have the means after bad years, saw some erosion, and of course got less of the water into the soil. Hard baked soil is not permeable, ideally there would be a slow and steady light rain to soften it up. Geoff is lucky insofar that he has help when building the swales (incl. the new one that was just finished in 2019), but the farmers could band together to help each other out and petition the government to give them zero interest loans (if they are paid down slowly the debt becomes less over time by itself, so it would not have to be a burden, paying it down over 20 years or so while inflation also eats away. That would create a lot of work in rural areas, increase productivity and also fire and flood proof the land. ideally government would also support the FAST training of the folks that know how to dig such swales, or support cooperations of regional farmers that buy some earth digger.

[@erfan4244]

@@xyzsame4081 agreed, in this times of skyrocketing prices and declining economy where as time goes by money is worth less and less you should consider getting big loans with small or zero interest and if you rise a career out of it then that's all the better

[@VergePermaculture]

Bring back memories Geoff! I can't wait to come back a decade later to see all the evolutions! You and Nadia are leaders and we need a million more of you.

[@4philipp]

VergePermaculture I think the reason his principles have not had a huge “acceptance” success is that there are tons of small projects spread throughout the world. If you concentrated a thousand + projects in one area of need, people would wake up to its potential.

[@JenniferArrow]

Full swales are such a beautiful sight; I'm so happy you got so much rain.

[@HeatherNaturaly]

Blows my mind that you have so much greenery when the whole rest of the country was a dust bowl. Just goes to show what swales and water catchments can do.

[@mrbrown66]

Its a high rainfall subtropical area and it is often green most of the year. It does get dry in spring typically.

[@claireandersongrahamkeller2744]

Permaculture is the Miracle of humans being Nature. It is going to grow in action...enjoy.

[@tophercIaus]

@@mrbrown66 Yeah, I live just over the hill from Zaytuna. I don't really think this area is particularly representative of the rest of the country. Permaculture obviously makes for incredible resilience, but it doesn't make it rain (until you have whole regions involved).

[@HickoryDickory86]

@@tophercIaus That's the whole point of the swales and other water catchments. You cannot make it rain, true, but you can work with nature and design to get the best out of what rain you do get. As Geoff has shown in many other videos, they work and work well even in literal deserts. That they work well in relatively well-watered places like Zaytuna Farm does not disprove their effectiveness in other places less-watered.

[@didarling9347]

Zaytuna so beautiful and lush. On mid nth coast we had more rain so far this year than last year's total of 31cm. Fruit trees, veg, chop and drop crops finally thriving not just surviving. Celebration time

[@gmtang]

This is wonderful to see. Would you be able to do a drone shot from above and trace the path of the water through your swales and dams from the top to the bottom of the property?

[@inotcare]

or some kind of map would be great

[@noemierollindedebeaumont1130]

Great suggestion ! That's exactly what i wanted to write. It would be very useful to track down the path the water takes

[@lpmoron6258]

And if he does not have the equipment he could call on Weedy! Love that man!

[@xyzsame4081]

There is someting deeply satisfying seeing the excess of water and Geoff happily wading in it like a little boy. Also cute: 9:40 Good morning girls to the ducks ;)

[@OZheathen]

Awesome Geoff, Send some of that rain down here to South Australia.

[@RichieRich845]

Geoff you live in paradise

[@JBFromOZ]

so awesome! we need permaculture solutions in place to mitigate flood waters on country after these recent bushfires. so much hope in this video thanks mate

[@kdegraa]

JBFromOZ I like the idea of turning the land into a big sponge to soak up and store the water. I want to build a dam on my farm. I’ve been told I need permission from the Department of Primary Industry NSW. Two emails asking for information about building a dam have gone unanswered.

[@JBFromOZ]

@@kdegraa swales are essentially leaky dams, cheaper and more effective to capture water over large areas, water is stored underground for tree growing, and evaporation is reduced significantly as a bonus

[@lesliekerr7952]

So great to see all the swales and ponds full and holding water for infiltration too. Hope to see more people taking note and implementing this elsewhere given the drought and recent bush fires.

[@leifbusk]

Wow, that is proof that the system is working, super good

[@margaretfry3043]

So nice to c Australia footage with water

[@jirinasatavova4062]

I could hear a cokobara in the background, it is a beautiful bird and its singing or screaming captivated me while visiting Australia

[@Zone10Permaculture]

Those swivel pipes are incredible!

[@michelleelsom6827]

Brilliant!! I loved seeing the swales in action - doing their job, what a wonderful system you have there Geoff.

[@xyzsame4081]

2:20 Beautiful dam ... we built it in 2 days (with Rob Avis from Verge Permaculture) during a course and 2 days later it was full. But we drained it later. ... Now it is full again.

[@GSDXephyr]

It's so good to see the contrast between the ends of the extreme weather spectrum and how a system like this not only holds up but thrives even with such wild swings. Proof of concept for sure. That wading in all that deep water must be quite a work out!

[@ashikalanser9033]

Highly satisfying

[@49testsamiam49]

must feel so good to see the water systems doing their thing

[@jameskniskern2261]

Lovely sight to see full sales after a drought.

[@jourdainhiini6548]

So good to see all the water, especially after so long being dry.

[@gwynnethvanjaarsveld7030]

Wow! Thanks for showing us Geoff. It helped me to understand the swivel pipe system much better. So greatful for everything you teatch us! Greetings from Jbay🌊

[@WDC_OSA]

I'm glad to see that a farm like this is able to handle such wild weather. I wish I could explore it (from which I bet I'd be tempted to work on it too).

[@xavierroy5254]

Thank you

[@leafdesi5967]

Your system is the perfect system made for this new chaotic world.

[@marioknowsitsgod1506]

I swear this was so satisfying

[@adnanalhasan3746]

That was just an amazing tour Geoff , thank you

[@calhoun1968]

Fantastic Mate!!! Peace, Love and Light!!!

[@audreycermak]

So happy all is well with you and Zaytuna Farm!

[@yukey2587]

So great to see water after a drought! And the best thing is...you get to KEEP it on the farm.

[@andreywagner5046]

What a beauty! Thank you for sharing Geoff.

[@SHUSWAPMAN]

I love that you're working with rob @ verge ... incredible wisdom in these channels. Thanks for the knowledge share - from more pf us in Canada also

[@serradojapi]

What a beautiful site!

[@randomfaz3867]

This is great, there is so much to learn from these rough cut walk throughs!

[@jozefdebeer9807]

You are doing amazing! You are teaching many.

[@madisongannon7607]

Great to see you again Geoff, you're an inspiration! Nice video editing too.

[@EricSeider]

Amazing thanks for the walkthrough Geoff. 😁

[@storm3772]

great work Geoff.

[@elenarf879]

Thank you Geoff ! Always sharing your experience with generosity.

[@helenbunch9065]

Such a beautiful site! Good work on making it so lush :)

[@phishwithoutfish]

Absolutely inspirational! This was exactly what I needed to see to really understand the swivel pipe setup. Thank you

[@RobCooper]

I could watch you walk through your water works all day long. Thanks for the update

[@justahappygardener]

Nice one Geoff. . . thank you from Scotland.

[@FunkyKiwi7]

That was exciting 🌱 Like going on a treasure hunt

[@ariesred777]

Thanks Geoff.Great video.So happy for you here in Northern Rivers

[@spidrespidre]

Looks fantastic. Love the ducks

[@BRIANJAMESGIBB]

excellent :) and loving the sound of the gum boots :)

[@WenRolland]

That was awesome!

[@thecurrentmoment]

That is 'next level' permaculture

[@DaisyDebs]

Brilliant !

[@pthomasgarcia]

Fascinating

[@dingchat555]

The water and lush greenery is absolutely beautiful. It's fun to just watch you walk through it all. Incredible work!

[@JeremyThomas_Environmentarian]

Amazing works by you and the team to get the land so well prepped for the rains that just came. It's hard to do this prep work in drought but as we can see has had a huge effect on your property. I've done some work on mine in the Central Tablelands but I haven't seen it properly since the rains came. I'll take the site caravan down there on Wednesday so looking forward to seeing the dry drought stricken land I first got access too in December 2019 and how it has regrown like much of the region in February 2020. Thanks again for all your inspiring work!!!

[@juliannewatson9975]

Why does this excite me soon much????

[@soniarose1387]

That was very interesting! Thanks

[@fourdayhomestead2839]

Very interesting to see. I'm amazed seeing this system in action.

[@nubiansoaps]

Thank you for showing your dams.

[@higherself7068]

👍

[@kevinbarnes218]

We need to start doing stuff like this in California where rain only really falls in winter and spring.

[@allanturpin2023]

There are thirsty people in this world... flaunting your water wealth in their faces like that? But seriously, I love it when a plan comes together. It's so instructional to follow the flow from the top of your land.

[@allanturpin2023]

@VICtorian071- um...

[@4philipp]

Nothing wrong to rejoice in the abundance of a much needed rain. The real difference here is that it’s a managed system versus just getting flooded, mudslides and erosion.

[@joecrablone286]

Great stuff. I'd love to see how the main crop gardens are responding to the rains.

[@BlueGardenCottage]

Tell you what... right now in the UK, we could certainly do with your input and permaculture solutions for our flooding. At government level though and public information. We do have the Permaculture Institute here but you never see them interacting, publicly anyway, with DEFRA (Department for Environment, Fisheries and Rural Affairs). Obviously solutions will differ from gardens, to towns, to farms but there is as always a solution for evey problem....many solutions in fact. We seem to have flooding through autumn, winter and spring then droughts in the summer. Palm-face emoji needed here.

[@Knight8365]

Good to see

[@dsthorp]

Yay!

[@andrewparry1474]

I'm just wondering what's the advantage of letting the water go? If you didn't do it, wouldn't it slowly seep into the ground and end up where you want it to be.... Was thinking if you don't get another drop of rain for a year, it seems better to have the water seeping in from as high as possible and for as long as possible. I'm not telling, or even suggesting...I just trying to understand, because I know pretty much nothing about permaculture, except what your fine videos teach me. Thanks!

[@braidenforest-weaver4274]

the swales had all reached saturation point. If the water moved any higher it would begin flowing over the food forest mounds, where you don't really want the water to be. That water will already slowly seep into the subsoil, recharging groundwater, aquifers, etc. Such a great sight to behold!

[@AFCAlll]

Braiden Forest-Weaver how you make those Dams, just on a flat piece of land and make it go downward and on that lowest place you put the damwall and swivel pipe?

[@PseudoAccurate]

@@braidenforest-weaver4274 There are level sills that allow the water to discharge without going over the mounds. I think Andrew's question is a good one because Geoff speaks all the time about putting swales in even where water is saturating the ground. And the level sill should be engineered to handle the water flow. If there's too much water then those drains come into play, which is maybe what is happening.

[@09conrado]

By the looks of the weeds in the swale, I would never have been able to tell you had a drought. Apparently the system was working so well that Zaytuna hardly suffered from that drought. Or am I mistaken?

[@nessav7258]

there is another video done around Dec/Jan where Geoff talks about how his property is going in the drought

[@SimpleEarthSelfReliance]

I am constantly amazed how high volume water can be managed. Very behind in my swalework and just a few weeks before rain season :-E Geoff sounds like the Terminator when he walks in the gumboots.

[@simombreeds9501]

Just found you and i'm glad i did great stuff keep it up.oh and greetings form Sachsen-Anhalt Germany👍👍👏🙏🍻🍻😉

[@torg5511]

Nice work Geoff. Just last night I watched a video on bell siphons. These could be applied to your existing setup to automatically start draining at the max water level of each swale. I don't know all the pros and cons of the swivel pipes, they might serve your purpose better, but bell siphons would operate automatically with water level and might save you some time.

[@b_uppy]

Beautiful sight. Is there a way to engineer for easier access to spillway pipes? Your wading is okay for summer rains, but winter rains? A lot of nope... (You need hip boots, though!)

[@ronniemcmaster8657]

He's too tough for boots. I'm sure he could put powered valves with networked controllers so he never has to leave the couch. There's just something about spending that time in nature, grounded out, and keeping the blood flowing.

[@b_uppy]

@@ronniemcmaster8657 I live where it's colder. Besides part of permaculture is to keep the tech accessible, simple.

[@KeikoMushi]

Frogs and other amphibians are sure to be loving the wet conditions. The Isaac region is pretty saturated as well. I now have lots of purslane popping up all over the yard and have been processing it to put in the freezer for future consumption. Not a bad problem to have for a plant with a taproot to be actively reproducing during the wetter periods.

[@debcobern312]

Thanks so much for sharing this! I guess all our prayers finally came to fruition for Y'all in Australia!!🖒😆💓

[@orinjoysdad6868]

its my pond! shout out to hannyka and joy...

[@immortalsofar5314]

Just a thought but if you attached the markers to the swivel pipes, wouldn't that give you the leverage to turn the stiffer ones? You'd need sturdy markers and a couple of hefty attachment rings but it might take care of both problems in one swoop.

[@danielvonbose557]

Got the whole system full.

[@nessav7258]

Hello Geoff, I love the simplicity of the swivel pipe. I understand that water soaks in from swales into the lower landscape but how do you access the water in the new dams? Have you set up pumps etc or do you use something along the lines of Keyline gravity outlet pipes?

[@inashamsia]

Alhamdulillah

[@TheVigilantStewards]

Amazing, looks like a tropical deluge happened or something I wouldn't ever guess there was any kind of drought. Also what baffles me, how do you guys not get bit by snakes!!!? Just walking around like that... do those boots protect you? Just wading blindly into grass and stuff would get my nerves going personally, but I am not in that environment much. Doing the pipes looks like a lot of fun

[@DaveTpletsch]

Gum boots are a pretty good defense against snakes. They're designed to be puncture resistant, something you can test by trying to put an ice pick through a boot. It takes a lot more strength than you might think to get through the material. If you find it easy to puncture a pair of gum boots, then you should immediately look for a better brand. Also snakes don't really have that strong of a bite force, they can't, because their jaws are built to be flexible and to unhinge. If they had a huge bite force they'd literally pull their faces apart. Venomous snakes rely on the sharpness of their fangs more than the force of their bite to penetrate skin. Put all that together and Gum boots are pretty good and very cheep anti-snakebite armor. Not absolutely fail-safe, but pretty damn good all things considered. Also a balanced ecosystem isn't going to have you tripping over snakes because their populations will be moderated by predators like owls, hawks, and other snakes, and also by competition for food with other predators, like cats, foxes, owls, hawks, and other snakes. In the western US deserts one of the best ways to avoid rattlesnakes is to promote King snakes, who compete for the same food sources and also hunt rattlesnakes. Promoting habitat for king snakes naturally moderates the population of rattlesnakes and all it takes is a little research and a little work to build the habitat. A balanced ecosystem does the same thing with lots of other animal predation interactions. Carmelo's point is a good one as well. There's a lot of traffic along those swales at Zatuna farm, and snakes tend to avoid places where there's a lot of trafic by larger animals unless they have a really good reason to be there, like access to water or food that they can't get somewhere else. I would suspect that most of the snakes at Zatuna farm live in the unmanaged "natural" forest areas of the property. All that's a very longwinded way of saying: Yes, gum boots offer some protection from snakes, and Geoff probably doesn't worry about snakes too much because the system is designed to account for them.

[@TheVigilantStewards]

@@DaveTpletsch Thank you for the informative reply. I live in Texas right now but eventually will relocate to the tropics of Kenya. I'd hate to build a wonderful food forest only to get poisoned to death :-D I like living too much. I guess snakes don't tend to strike above the gum boot, say at knee or thigh height? Even if they're up on that level? My grandfather who has a ranch in the hill country of Texas one time was opening a gate in his 70s, and on the other side was a snake that bit him. I think it was indeed a poisonous snake, but it was a dry bite or something. I would have been very anxious in that situation because he was about an hour away from a hospital and 15 minutes from the house

[@thertsman8233]

making lots of noise is a good way to not get fucked by a snake too. stamping your feet as you start going into possibly dangerous areas will warn the snake you're coming so it doesn't panic.

[@xyzsame4081]

@@TheVigilantStewards The snakes likely do not want to swim (most of them) and wait for the water to subside. I think he mentioned that more intense rainfall was predicted and most animals try to shelter and wait until the wild weather events (that could potentially harm them with the sheer force of moving water or moving objects) end. Geoff created quite a commotion as he waded along, noise and movement - he creates currents with the swivel pipes, the snakes would not like that (they could be swept along, and worse could get hit by some larger object, the suction is strong). So if a snake is somewhere in a swale and feels the suction it willl flee. If something larger wades in water it is potentially an animal that could see snakes as prey, or trample them by accident, their prey is smaller and cannot create such a stir, so they would naturally avoid that. if they suvived so far they can deal with dry weather resp.they hid where it is cool, shaded and moist - but not standing water, and grass on soaking wet ground. Their prey (except for frogs) is also not yet running around and also waits until the water retreats and the heavy rain ends, so the snake likey would save energy, enjoy the moisture and wait a few days until they go hunting. If a snake specializes in rodents or insects - they are still hiding. Birds are in the trees, not in the water or soaking wet underground. If they eat frogs and toads - those were more concentrated in the still moist areas during the draught, and had not yet had time to procreate a lot thanks to the rain, so immediately after such a rain is not even such a good time to hunt, their prey will spread out over the land and is harder to find. Snakes can go a long time without food and can afford to be quite opportunistic, so a waiting a few days until things get back to normal after a flooding does not matter for them. If there are such strong rainfalls, more can come and fast moving water can harm animals, so it is a good strategy for all wildlife to shelter in place in times of torrential rainfalls, and wait it out.

[@TheVigilantStewards]

@@xyzsame4081 Hey, wow thank you for that insight! I appreciate understanding things better so I'm not as afraid/paranoid. In North Texas we have poisonous water moccasins that seem to love ponds and dams etc... does what you said also apply to them? I think the other ones we have here are rattlesnakes and copperheads... lot of deadly snakes here

[@kezzatries]

Hey Mate how's about sending some of that water down to South Aussie

[@claireandersongrahamkeller2744]

And, know, you, too, can create swales, enrich soil, empower your area's ecosystem with Permaculture Design principles and ethics, to grow trees that realize rain...yes!

👏👏👏

[@monkeymanwasd1239]

How whole is the ground under Water holding together is there like a layer of mud that you are trudging through or what

[@timsbitsca]

Put some Talapia in the swales for fish, Great video.

[@xyzsame4081]

A swale is a water INFILTRATION device (the water from the downpour should be soaked up after 1 week max). A swale is also a tree growing installation (they grow at the borders, above and beneath). The swales are meant to distribute water slightly inequally thus creating "zones" with more and less moisture. Drier above the swale and on a berm / mound. After such a torrential rain, there will not be much difference in soil moisture for a short time, but as they go back to normal, the microzones will emerge again, that are a good fit for different plants * and animals. At the overlap of zones the most growth of bio mass happens, the diversity of niches and the edges between them create the magic. The farther apart the swales are the more pronounced the zoning effect will be. Each swale and the root systems of the trees that grow directly under it create a plume of water satuaration in the soil (it takes on average 7 years until the plume has its maximum) That water is supposed to be soaked up within days. Most of the time Geoff can use the swales as convenient and leaf covered "clean" walking paths and for a wheelbarrow (they are level so that is easy). They have frogs and reptiles to control mosquitos in case water stands longer than 2 - 3 days (which does not happen often, but then they would have a chance to breed). But swales are not suited for fish - Geoff and team have those and water plants in the PONDS. If the swales are narrowly spaced, all the land will be covered by their water supply, if they are spaced apart there will be zones that have less moisture water (or the plants have to work harder to suck it in, which means they do not get wet feet, but still can get moisture in emergencies, it will cost them some energy but they will survive). People have installed swales in existing orchards with well established fruit trees (for instance in the South of France) and found out that some, like a few peachs tree under a swale did not like the unsually high moisture, it was too much, their roots were damaged (likely fungal diseases) not sure if the trees survived. Those trees had been well adjusted to the former dryness. If the same tree would grow above a swale with a little distance it would be fine, it _could_ access the water (for instance during a draught), but the water is not forced onto the root system. Other trees in that French orchard did very well with the additional moisture provided by the swales, but it also harmed a few (likely it promoted fungi and the trees are not used to dealing with them). If one develops a system with young trees you do not have those problems. Experienced people will always plant an orchard on contour, and you lose the seedlings before they are valuable fully grown fruit trees if the location is not right for them. And if the growers install swales later they could try to assess IF there could be too much of a good thing for some well established trees. In order to mitigate the problems. For instance planting water loving deep rooted plants between swale and a tree that likes it dry. Or just risking it for the development of the system. Or placing the swale on a different level, or interrupting the line (the swale ends) so less water is fed to the trees. They will get some water indirectly but not as much.

[@SHANONisRegenerate]

Yehaa!

[@aron8949]

Did the greening the desert project just recently get rain too?

[@russsherwood5978]

well that looks like it will hold water for awhile,, how would something like that work in NEW MEXICO,U.S.A.?hope there is a way to turn that parched ground into lush grass ,,i guess i.ll have to wait till i re-locate down there to find out. be blessed and safe

[@jaredrowendolas8757]

I've also been wondering how permaculture systems would work in NM.

[@news8000]

@@jaredrowendolas8757 the systems work in the Jordan desert. Why not NM?

[@jaredrowendolas8757]

@@news8000 I mean what form they would take and ultimate potential, not wether they would work or not. While I've read about and seen many examples of people working in deserts online I'm curios about some of the rather unique areas I'm familiar with that don't seem to be well represented in my personal research.

[@news8000]

If you study the various systems that permaculture consultants use and teach, there's always site specific variables to contend with. Yet the underlying principles still apply. Closer to NM, take a look at Apricot Lanes Farm in California not far from L.A. Just released a documentary film The Biggest little Farm.

[@news8000]

And it is true, NM has numerous climate zones, some places where can get bitter cold with lots of snow sometimes. Things Zatuna Farm, the Jordan Desert, and Apricot Lane will never experience. But that's one of the great things about permaculture, it's adaptability.

[@601salsa]

I wish all property owners in Australia would apply this, it would really help to reduce fire risk as vegetation wouldn't be as dry. It would make a lot of Australia green once again. Are any of your neighbours employing any of these techniques into their farms?

[@RawRunner]

You say the swales are full and so you push down the swivel pipes to release the water to lower dams/swales. But Doesn't it make sense to hold the water higher up on the property? Are they really full if the pipes, in their "upright position," are not yet draining out the swales? I figured the upright position of the pipes would be set to correspond with the maximum fill size of the swale.

[@litoid]

I was thinking about this too... Maybe he wanted the swales to be full and functioning spillways before setting maximum level for swivel pipes to be configured correctly and only then forget about them. What I'm wondering is how swales are done? 30 or 50cm deep? 1.20 - 1.30 wide? Is it refill with a layer of sand or just digged and fork-pitched? Also... The purpose of swales is to retain water to infiltrate it to underground water, and the excess to direct it somewhere else? Or am i missing something else??

[@belindaroadley]

@@litoid Brad Lancaster has books that go into more detail on sizing your swales and other water harvesting earthworks. Swales infiltrate water. If the soil becomes saturated (ie can't infiltrate any more water) the swale should fill up like a bathtub. The spillway is what directs the overflow so the walls of the swale don't break. Geoff's addition of swivel pipes is kinda integrating keyline design in that he can move the swale water where he wants it. Maybe topping up a dam, irrigating some pasture, filling up unconnected swales, etc.

[@sleeplessinthecarolinas8118]

Great job! Seeing your swales in action really helped me understand the importance of the systems.

[@2vada1tea76]

👌👌👌👌👌😍

[@yLeprechaun]

Im so jealous, as usual

[@sandybeach4751]

I need to catch more water.

[@iwanabana]

Does all this water have a danger of drowning the roots, making them rot? How do you deal with that? Much love from switzerland.

[@survivalpodcasting]

You look very happy Geoff, full swales are always happiness.

[@ericbruhn3765]

Could you explain the function of the slopes in your farm? I mean, what’s the use of all that water on your farm? :-D

[@xyzsame4081]

Water management 101, the slopes are the natural landscape ;) the level water trenches do not alter the gradient of the terrain per se, they just give the precious water time to soak in AND also prevent erosion damage and harmful flooding in times of heavy downpours. The rain soaks into the underground and the many trees and other plants can access it when they have a 1 or 2 years draught - or even only the normal dry season. Swales are tree growing systems (and the trees are crucial for water infiltration, and water distribution and pumping it up later when it is dry). Plus Geoff and team store water in some ponds and tanks above ground. Which costs material and space, some evaporation losses - and larger bassins could become a hazard if dams or walls break. Underground storage has the advantage that is is huge and for free - except for the costs to promote infiltration of water, if needed. On flat land you just need to aim for good soil and plant enough trees, swales _can_ be useful sometimes, but are not nearly as crucial as on a property like Zaytuna. Plus if the aquifers does not leak (which of course helps in other places) it beats storage in a pond (for use on a farm) because there are no evaporation losses, the water is filtered and stays cooler. but it is less controlable and accessible than water stored above ground. A swale is meant for infiltration, the rain water is 1) stored underground after having soaked through and recharged all the soil on the way down OR 2) the aquifers feed a spring or creek that can then run year round, and even during draughts - and of course that also helps to irrigate the land in dry times. Trees growing nearby the reliable above ground source of water spread it out (they do not have to invest energy to pump it up, so more varieties can grow and it will be more lush) and water of creeks can even be used for irrigation. not sure if that is legal in Australia, likely not, but they use water of streams for irrigation in some regions of India. It depends how much they take out - and what the folks downstream think of it. Streams that are fed by catching the rain on a property, also help downstream. The thoroughly and deeply wetted through soil / underground (it goes beyond topsoil !) remains moist much longer. it is one big sponge and there are capillaric effects (also thanks to trees) that move the moisture around. That moisture is enough to grow ground cover and keep the trees and bushes going. Zaytuna farm was a run down, dry cattle farm when Geoff bought the land, most neighbours are still cattle farmers that do not manage the water, do not grow lots of trees, let alone building very much needed water infiltration infrastructure. They went brown and their ponds and tanks were depleted. They had to reduce the herds substantially. Only keeping the best animals for breeding and buying fodder for them. Ponds and water tanks (filled up with the surplus from the swales) are also a backup for wildfires. On Zaytuna farm they still had water in the ponds & tanks when the farms around them were dry, and had depleted their stores - which of course makes it much harder to keep a fire from spreading, because it has to be brought in. The region was not hit, but they prepared for it, and sooner or later a fire will come along. That means they have to concentrate on keeping people safe and maybe saving the main buildings - but there is not enough water to defend the outer perimeter of the property and larger lines - not when they have to truck in or fly in water. In California some rich areas were spared, they had the luxury of having a lot of golf courses (which is an insanity regarding water managment, using a lot of water to grow a grass monoculture in an ara that is semi arid). But there was not much fuel and it was well irrigated and the belt was wide enough to even stop the dramatic fires (which were so strong that they created their own wind, even lightening. There is wildfire - and then there is _that_ ). Lush vegetation makes it harder for the fire to spread, there is no tinder. At least it slows it down, which also helps the firefighters. The water must be evaporated so the fire will not be quite as hot, which makes the "system" less dynamic, strong and fast.

[@taylorkuhla4327]

if you never want the water that high, why aren't the swivel pipes permanently lower/lowered?

[@4philipp]

Taylor Kuhla my guess is that the swales/Dams are sized for the heaviest local rains. You’d want to hold the water and then do a controlled release to lower swales. Otherwise the lower areas would get totally flooded and the rush of water might create lots of erosion. In the upright position the pipes still act as an overflow to lower swales. But I guess the proof of design is that they did not overflow yet. If even more rain was coming I’m sure he would want to empty the upper swales as much as possible. I’m not sure though if at the lowest point he could simply start flooding the plains below. Just some guesses :)

[@markmoreno8413]

How to start growing trees in the high california desert with no water too start any initial tree planting? Can you help?

[@bryanst.martin7134]

What was that old saying? "Be careful for what you wish, you just may get it". ;-) What size were the drain lines? Also do you know the pitch of that property? I'm trying to guage what I am looking for in vacant land. Most want flat, I would rather Nature do the work. ;-) Your systems are intriguing, thank you for posting them.

[@johanhausen1621]

Do you use any sieves inside the pipes so they dont jam up?

[@ziggybender9125]

For people that are using this practice I suggest buying a pair of wading shoes (amazon has) and using them instead of rain boots to walk the soaked swales.