PDC+++ Module3 Class 4 Water

M3.4 pdc+++M3.4 pdc+++Water is another vital element & normally very badly managed in our

society, due to our usual ignorance of its importance, characteristics & inter-relationships with other elements.

In this class we learn of harvesting systems for this vital substance, how to re-connect ourselves with the water cycle, the strategies of "slow it, spread

it, sink it"

& we see various examples where a good management of water has totally changed the system. Small re-designs can improve the whole

environment a great deal, & this is especially true with water re-designs.

of the

an integral exploration

PDC++ +

M3.4 WATER

wangari maathai

"I have seen rivers that were brown with silt

become clean-flowing again ...

The job is hardly over, but it no longer seems

impossible."

From the article "Planting the future", The Guardian, 16 February 2007.

Kenia 1 april 1940 - 25 september 2011

"Until you dig a hole,

you plant a tree, you water it and make it

survive, you haven't done

a thing.

You are just talking."

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_de_abril

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/25_de_septiembre

• An EgoRestoration Project

• Storage in Soil & Vegetation

• Swales & Diversion Channels

• Rain Water Collecting

• Dams & Reservoirs

• Mythology & Culture of Water

an integral explorationM3.4 WATER

Earth Works

•• Good drainage & irrigation systems (salinization) Good drainage & irrigation systems (salinization) Water storage Water storage (depend more on rainwater than sub-terrenean water)(depend more on rainwater than sub-terrenean water)

Slow it, Spread it, Sink itSlow it, Spread it, Sink it

Cover the soil (roots in the earth)Cover the soil (roots in the earth)Regeneration & Reforestation of areas in danger of erosionRegeneration & Reforestation of areas in danger of erosion

•• Large scale: cover vegetation, green manures Large scale: cover vegetation, green manures •• Small scale: composts, vegetation wastes, mulchingSmall scale: composts, vegetation wastes, mulching

•• Foliar application & Compost TeasFoliar application & Compost Teas

The ABC of RegenerationThe ABC of Regeneration

C. Control of WaterC. Control of Water

A. hAlt the ErosionA. hAlt the Erosion

B. Biomass & BugsB. Biomass & Bugs

STOP the destructionSTOP the destruction








Earth Works

As Brock likes to ask,

“Do you know where your watershed is tonight?”

An EgoRestoration Project

Brock Dolman

The health of our waters is the principal measure of how we live on the land. (Luna Leopold)

"We're probably known around the

universe as that really noisy

blue planet where everybody

pees in their water."

(Will Durst)

wonderful lectures by him in our e-book

www.PermaCultureScience.org

M3.4 - Water

“The critical head-waters (human brain) are in need of an ego-restoration project”

and the “lifeboat in this restorative journey is our watershed.”

A watershed carries water "shed" from the land after rain falls and snow melts.

The important thing about watersheds is: what we do on the land affects water quality for all communities living downstream.

They are natural BioRegions


Brock Dolman

Life BoatsWe all live in life-boats -they are our Watersheds

conoces a tu

cuenca?

Brock Dolman


Poetically, our society must engage in a “Reverential Rehydration Revolution,”

Brock Dolman


Regenerative Rehydration

Hope lies in world-wide “water literacy” and establishing a water management commitment to the four R’s of “Conservation Hydrology: Receive, Release, Recharge, and Restore.”

Brock Dolman


by adjusting our development and water management patterns away from the “problem-causing system of: Pave it, Pipe it, Pollute it”

to a “solution-based system of: Slow it, Spread it, Sink it.”

only 0,007%

can be

considered

drinking water

Planet Earth >> Planet Water

3/4 of planet is covered in waterDomestic use of water (in litres per person per day)

Gambia 3Tanzania 8Bangladesh 14Nigeria 24India 31China 59Holland 67Syria 98Mexico 129Germany 273Japán 376Canada 431USA 555Estimations based on “The World’s Water 2000-2001”, by Peter H. Gleick

50 l/dayrecommended

snow & ice (solid water) condensation water vapour

oceans & seas (salt water)evaporationprecipitationrivers, lakes & underground

waters (sweet water)

it is important to understand how aquifers work

Springs

It is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground.

A spring is a site where the aquifer surface meets the ground surface.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquifer








Earth Works

the Hydrological Cycle - cycles & purifies water continuously

Precipitation

Evaporation

Cloud

Transportation of vapour

Evaporation

Snow Transpiration

Sub-terrenean flow of water

Percolation

Superficial Storage

Sea

One of Nature's priceless services

M3.4 - The Science of Water


Plants are fertility (water) indicators

value the marginal

(Edge)

temperature down 3-5 degrees Ctemperature down 3-5 degrees Cair humidity up 10%air humidity up 10%

cloud cover up 11.5%cloud cover up 11.5%rainfall up 25%rainfall up 25%

137 species of birds (up from 5)137 species of birds (up from 5)9 species of primates9 species of primates

3000 people getting income3000 people getting income

Class 3.2 on Regeneration Class 3.2 on Regeneration (Borneo)(Borneo)

Forests CREATE the rainForests CREATE the rain

so vegetation is a so vegetation is a pro-sumer of waterpro-sumer of water

0.003 % of the planet's water is contained in plants, animals and the

soil

• & most water soil erosion is prevented by vegetation (covering & holding the earth in place)

• Of any water that precipitates (condensed, rain or snow) only 30-40% finds its way to rivers or underground water deposits

• Most of it is taken up by plants & humus in soils >> the most mini-max water storage is to get harvested water directly into (good) soil with dense vegetation

"you can "you can think of a think of a forest as forest as a mass of a mass of vegetatiovegetatio

n n

... or you ... or you can think can think of it as a of it as a

lake"lake"








Earth Works

Are ditches that follow the contour and in which there is no flow. Their function is first to stop the water and then to soak it into the

landscape.Planting is usually done in or alongside, to use up the water collected.Planting is usually done in or alongside, to use up the water collected.

Imagen de “Perm

aculturre a Designer’s M

anual”

there are some great videos on earth-works by Jeff Lawton in the e-book:


M3.4 - Water

re-hydrated landscape

can result in new springs downstream

The distance between swales will depend on the slope and the climate

some rough guidelines

SLOPE DISTANCE 2% 30 m(eters) 10% 20 m 20% 14 m 45% 4 m

native acacias

herbs or grass cutting crop (for straw)

wildlife

infiltration area with straw

cucubits, beans, cassava, bananas

/ other water-demanding crops

how to you mark the contour?

< With an A-frame Level

in order to ensure we dig aswale and not a diversion channel?

when the A-frame is level, then both legs are resting on the

contour, can mark with pegs & move along to find next point on the contour (also prepare lots of

pegs to mark landscape)


With a Bunyip Water Level >

Used in building, can also find difference in

levels very easily, including around corners.

Can be used to find same level also, to

mark swales.


With a Surveyor's Level >

BE CREATIVE! observe the landscape, swales have to be DESIGNED like anything else (no 'standard recepies' please)

Class 3.2 on Regeneration (US Dust Class 3.2 on Regeneration (US Dust Bowl)Bowl)

Diversion Channels

Unlike swales, diversion channels connect a stream to a dam, orcollect runoff water and carry it to places of

storage ... and they can need a slope in order to carry water along a landscape

(not soak it into the landscape, which is the function of swales)

Imagen de “Perm


anual”

FLOW

diversion channels come in all types & often have 'doors' for optimal flow

control

There are many shapes. The objective is not to collect water but regulate the streams flows

Imagen de “Perm


anual”

Check Dam

Stream

Boomerang shape wallContour diversion channel

Dry bed ofthe stream

this one in Fuerteventura

the 'gabias' of Fuerteventura

the 'gabias' of Fuerteventura(Canary Islands) are a

combination of desviation channels & 'mega-swales'

an essentially dry landscape, but when it rains it rains hard & ingenious water-harvesting systems have evolved to work

with nature

edges traditionally made with camel-power & planted with palm-

trees

slow sedimentation layers stones, sand & clays in that

order

& a crust of very fine clay forms which lowers

evaporation

no more watering is needed (these fields have

a lot of water stored in the soil)

today most of the palm-tree edges have

disappeared (they shaded & held the

gabia walls in place)

4466

A water-harvesting technique we saw before, also from

Fuerteventura

Antonio

4477

Antonio is an organic farmer who is continuing his family's tradition,

here

this is his gabia field in production

4488

notice the fine clay 'crust mulch', lowering evaporation

& mini-swales for shading

abandoned gabias keep working ... decades later

(advantages of passive systems & good earth-works)








Earth Works

Imag

en d

e: T

exas

Gui

de to

Rai

wate

r Har

vest

ing

Main components of a rainwater collection system

catchment surface / roof

channels / tubing

conduction & water treatment surplus out

storage tank

To calculate tank volume needed, eg.

roof area (m2) x rain mean (l/m2) = total litres (l)then compare with water

requirements in dry season

RainGardens - store water directly in soil

Total roof areahere is

9x6.5 = 58.5m2

Any paved area (eg. roads, car-parks, patios, etc.)

can act as good rainwater collection areas

< Rainwater collection tank from road above farm, in La Casita Verde, Ibiza

(2 or 3 of these fill up every winter)

5533

Typical Canarian rain-water collection system (water tank covered)

Be creative & use whatever containers you can to store precious rain-water

Methods for diverting the 1st rainwater from a roof. These Methods for diverting the 1st rainwater from a roof. These wash the roof & are redirected to uses that don't require wash the roof & are redirected to uses that don't require

clean water.clean water.

Imagen de “Permaculturre a Designer’s Manual”

Some filters or systems for rejecting

leaves, insects, etc.

Crystal Waters: water storage on a large scale

Barcelona: House of Sr. Joan Carulla

Barcelona: House of Sr. Joan Carulla








Earth Works

Very useful for fire control, animals and limited irrigation. It's the kind dam higher in the landscape that can be

filled by the runoff from the hills.

Imagen de “Perm


anual”

Diversion channel that catch the runoff Water and take it to the damThe channels have a slope of

1:250-500

“saddle shape” dam

Imagen de “Perm


anual”

Keyline system doesdrought-proof farms with low operating costs and maintenance.

The road is in the range S located along a principal a ridgeNotice how the valleys and primary ridges are inclined to Redbank Creek to the north

Yeomans Keyline plow for soil conditioning

Chisel plough

used in compacted pasture soils

3 or 4 sequences with increasing

depth

creates deep (18cm) humus soils

over 1 - 2 growing seasons

cuts along contour

all of these techniques

for

slowing, spreading & sinking water into

the landscape

are often used in the same piece

of land

Slow it, Spread it, Sink it

The same uses as the saddle dam

Imagen de “Perm


anual”Diversion Channels

drainage channels (to the next dam)

Cross section following the main ridge

If used in a series of dams is not necessary drainage canal and the remainder goes to the next dam an eventually to the stream. Adapted for irrigation

in lower slopes.

The keyline (dashed line) connects the key points in the

primary valleys

Imagen de “Perm


anual”

Keypoint DAM

Cross section

InputDiversionchannel

Drainoutput

It is the dam of "engineers". It can affect fish migration and have difficulty draining. Only works well in the

keyline system as part of a system of dams connected to each other.

Imagen de “Perm


anual”

Barrier dam

Stream

drainage

Useful in slopes of 8º or less as part of a interconnected dams system

Imagen de “Perm


anual”

Cross section Contour dams

Concave wall

Convex wall

To contain water pumped by a windmill. Provides a low flow in flat areas. Can be filled with a pipe from a big roof

or parking lot

Imagen de “Perm


anual”

Ring dam over a flat area (circular on a map)

“turkey nest” dam

The walls of earth and concrete or wire baskets can hold "mud fields", make sprinkle water and reduce the amount

of silt in streams

Imagen de “Perm


anual”

Silt

dam for the accumulation of silt

Stream bed

A dam of this type with 1-3m wall perpendicular to a stream can create enough flow rate for a hydraulic ram

Imagen de “Perm


anual”Control dam for a watermill or a hydraulic ram

Banana Circle

Banana CircleObjectives:1) easy, large production in small space2) multi-crop system3) use up organic waste, eg. banana leaves4) water storage 5) easy access for harvesting6) neat system for banana production7) gray water deposit








Earth Works

The work of a land-

designer is to

to slow, spread &

sink water in the

landscape

in order to re-hydrate & restore the

soil for maximum vegetation cover (& fertility) possible

Watershed

Headwaters The work of a culture-designer

is to

to re-design the culture of water in the society

in order to re-hydrate &

restore

the collective

intelligence of the whole

system

water as a sacred resource

(would be tabú to dirty it, to waste it, to dis-respect

it's cycles in any way)

Brock Dolman


ReStoryAtion: what is the creation myth that holds

power for you?

Is the planet a commodity or a community?

Are you part of the solution or part of the

precipitate?








Earth Works

Technology

PDC+++ Module3 Class 4 Water