But, I know now that I could have done a much better job, and I hope that, by sharing a bit of what I’ve learned, this might help to lead people towards more successful swales and, in turn, permaculture systems. Micronesia New South Wales Armenia Latvia I was sloppy in my installation, leveling by eyeballing and ignoring contour lines. Solomon Islands Colombia stockpile the topsoil separately, to use on the bed and side slopes of the swale construct the side slopes with a gradient of no more than … Of course, adequate space is needed for vegetated swales. Tanzania Niger Christmas Island Locate steep slopes. Jordan You also have to figure on how fast your soil percolates as to how fast the swales will drain and soak in. Madagascar Nauru Questionable use of time in such cases. Greenland Bunyap Water Level: Measure Contour Lines & Swales Some additional things to keep in mind with swales: In drylands: here, your best general water-conservation strategy for trees is to clump them into a little forest, where they can shade, wind buffer, and recycle transpired moisture with each other. > steep slopes > high runoff velocities > dry weather flow > damage from vehicles Swales with slopes of less than 2% need a perforated pipe underdrain. A swale can help capture water where it is being … The project tracked 11 storms and concluded that particulate … Peru Sweden Swales are ideal as an terna bs and gutters along parking lots and along small roads in gently sloping rrain. Here, swales won’t help you. Norfolk Island of a swale include: sedimentary filtering by the swale vegetation (both on side slopes and on bottom), ... Swales are impractical in areas of extreme (very flat or steep) slopes. Consequently, I thought it might be useful to others to share in this folly, discuss swales in basic but important terms, and provide some reference material for further exploration into the how it is and is not done. I understand the swales and sloped grading prevents water from coming towards the house but it does not flow properly. By putting them on contour lines and giving them level bottoms, we are able to pacify water flows that might otherwise be destructive to the landscape. To add to this, many cross section diagrams you find of swales with trees show the tree either on or at the toe of the berm. Even Mollison himself had shifting ideas. Urban Swales But, I learned to move water around, gained a little trial-by-error experience, and continued to research, ultimately realizing the preliminary and finishing work necessary for installing them correctly. 1936, Construction of dams by depositing rock in running water, Transactions, Second Congress on Large Dams, Washington, D.C. USA. Panama Guatemala This is the amount you can store per swale. In my defense, and perhaps to my own credit, I had read enough material about swales to get the general gist, but as I’ve learned since, a general gist doesn’t always cut the mustard. Romania steep, unlined dikes, and swales are subject to erosion and gully formation. Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands Netherlands However, like dams, the higher we can get swales in our landscape the more effective they’ll be, as the water will plume beneath them, continuing to use … If swelling clay is suspected on a site, a geotechnical investigation would be required to verify swelling … Namibia If you do have a wetlands species, a simple depression – natural, or dug with a spade – will serve the same purpose as a swale (and what’s more, requires no calculations or risks). Not really keen on building a second great retaining wall of China in a beautiful bush back yard. Now, about runoff… Swales do “spread and soak” runoff, but people are often surprised to find that they collect less than expected. Yugoslavia Nigeria Trees, however, will moderate the saturation levels, utilizing the water deep into the soil as opposed to having it collect and cause problems. In short, I had the idea, but I lacked the execution. Belgium When my neighbor waters his lawn or when it rains, I get a puddle of stagnant water sitting in the swales and caved slope areas. Make sure that the base of the swale is level so that the water disperses evenly. swale slope as close to zero as drainage permits, hence the term “contour swale’ where the swales are constructed along contour lines so that rain entering the system is held in the swale. On steep slopes, make smaller swales about 1 meter apart. What natives and also edibles would be suitable, and what other considerations should we have in using swales as option. Antigua and Barbuda Chad You could however plant trees on your steep slope to help stabilise it, this could be achieved by doing terraces and retaining wall type structures or by doing a net and pan configuration when planting your trees. Western Australia, This is a very interesting question, as I've had dealings with steep slopes in the past. Canada Tassie steep swales Gday Andrew I was in tassie a couple of weeks ago around ringarooma there was a long aqua duct called the race I was interested to see that it collapsed with a massive mud slide and closed. Vanuatu Swales are most suited for deep rooted perennial plant species, trees, bushes & nitrogen fixing ground covers where regular access for maintenance or harvesting is not required; Common species to plant on swales Kiribati Holy See (City Vatican State) steep slopes . Malaysia Photo 6 – During construction, the drain should be excavated sufficiently to allow placement of the rock such that the finished drain has the required flow area . Faroe Islands Bolivia Swaziland Swales are an excellent technique in rainwater harvesting. Monaco Estonia ). Use a lined ditch for high flow velocities. Liberia Indonesia Required fields are marked *, The financially unfortunate combination of travel enthusiast, freelance writer, and vegan gardener, Jonathon Engels whittled and whistled himself into a life that gives him cause to continually scribble about it. Nepal Finland Maldives The swale also must have a level spillway so that, in times when water is overabundant, it can release safely and passively in an appropriate location without damaging the berm. Uruguay Swales and terraces should be made following the shape of the land, so that if heavy rains come this will not create problems. Discussion in 'Designing, building, making and powering your life' started by milifestyle, Feb 2, 2015. Kenya These swales can be much further apart, up to 50m. Gibraltar Zimbabwe, State Saint Lucia Keep the taller ones at the top with the lower plants towards the bottom. Only a few years into my permaculture career, I have certainly been guilty of this, and I have distinct memories of mistakes I made with regards to both attempting to construct swales and putting them in the wrong place. The length of the proposed swale is over 30m. Mauritius STEP 4 – Secure swale … Honduras Belarus Serbia Stretching them out in lines may be a bad idea for a small to medium sized orchard (or fuel, timber forest, etc.). Step pools with underdrain (biofiltration) A step pool with an underdrain is a type of vegetated conveyance channel used in areas with steep terrain that … To Swale or Not to Swale Experimenting with Overflowing Circles and Slow-Flow Swales (My first experiments), Feature Photo: Courtesy of Brian Boucheron. British Indian Ocean Territory in very flat dry conditions. But, a few weeks into the dry season, the plume – unless trapped by clay or humus – is out of reach of the short roots of most annual crops. If it is steeper than a 10% slope, then a swale would not help to mitigate your stormwater problem. Swales on steep slopes will only destabilize the land even more. If water is held by clay or humus, then your reduced irrigation needs have little to do with the swale itself (unless your swale was filling with runoff). Victoria Burundi Sri Lanka Soils on steep slopes tend to be unstable due to natural and anthropogenic causes. Malawi Step 2: Identify the ideal site for a permaculture swale. Sudan When used for rehydrating and reforesting, swales can more or less be left to naturally fill with sediment and organic matter as the forest grows. Lebanon Albania Guinea-Bissau Read this (and think twice before buying candles), Permaculture Gardening in a Wildlife Environment – the Real Meaning of Food Security (South Africa). Macedonia And best of all, swales can be dug by hand and cost you nothing. Dominica In this way, we are preventing the erosion, and we are capturing nutrients, silt, and organic matter. Then use shrubs, grasses and clovers to hold the berm of the swale in place. Cocos Islands Morocco Thanks for the article here. Swales are best used on sites with relatively flat slopes. In effect, swales only make sense when they are used to cultivate trees, as in a humid climate they would probably overcharge the ground with water and in a bare, arid climate the system would likely fill, erode, and evaporate very quickly. Ireland 15.75 in deep every 32 feet Everyone seems to have their own opinion as to the functions and proper applications of a swale, and of the downsides. Mongolia Venezuela Proposed area drops 12m over a run of approx 15m. Reference Isbash, S.V. Barbados The berm is on the downhill side of the swale and should be planted with both trees and groundcovers so that the soil is stabilized. Cote d'Ivoire See Figure 2. Guam Iraq South Korea New Zealand Wallis and Futuna Islands Any area with more than a fifteen-degree slope (about 1:3.75) isn’t appropriate for installing swales, as the water saturation may cause slides, which could be dangerous. The “swales” I made tended to be short, not really all that useful for spreading water across the landscape, and they lacked the trees necessary anyway. Lao People's Democratic Republic Costa Rica 3. Cyprus Island Mozambique You will need to use a net and pan planting technique. Dominican Republic South Georgia Curlex blankets (purchased at BrockWhite) were staked in place to stop erosion and help the seeds germinate … Martinique Bulgaria Check dams are installed so that the crest of the downstream dam is at the same elevation as the toe of the upstream dam. Level spreaders must be … Flat to slightly sloping sites Single slab on ground construction is only suitable for a site slope up to seven per cent. Be creative. Nicaragua Don’t Try Building Hugel Swales – This Is a Very and I Mean Very Bad Idea Shallow swales and curbs with diversion devices can help alleviate this problem. Hong Kong South Australia Kuwait Congo, Democratic People's Republic Instead, plant it in trees to slow and spread water and start your swales where the slope is less than 17%. The excavator saved topsoil and put down a good layer to help seeds get started. Also, soaking in more water in the wet season will wash away more N, which tends to leach in these climates especially. Hoping someone can help with some advice. By attaching swales to dams, we are able to increase the water catchment area feeding the dam, such that the swale will fill the dam as with water that would normally go elsewhere. In wet areas with an annual summer drought, you must therefore have a lot of winter rain – in order to still fall into the “wet” category. However, like dams, the higher we can get swales in our landscape the more effective they’ll be, as the water will plume beneath them, continuing to use force of gravity to permeate the subsoil at a right angle down from contour (i.e. The berms beneath them make great fertile planting beds. Conveyances should be stabilized. If the rainwater runoff in your yard is usually light, you can probably get by with a simple shallow swale … Australian Capital Territory Guinea Liechtenstein Palestinian Territories Even in the case of using them to extend catchments for dams or to provide an overflow system, trees should still be planted, especially on the downhill side of the swale, and it is advisable to plant more just along the uphill edge or backside (nitrogen-fixers are great for this). Virgin Islands (USA) Grassed Swale 14-11 July 2007 Sites with steep slopes can be can be difficult to design due resulting high velocities of flow. More of his work can be found at. Western Samoa This was probably a good thing because the slope wasn’t always appropriate for what I thought I was doing. Anguilla Guadeloupe Cambodia Jersey American Samoa China Tokelau Japan They can serve a few major functions in these combinations. Myanmar Grenada Philippines Tuvalu Ecuador They capture surface runoff and send it deep into the aquifer, both nourishing trees and reducing erosion. Thailand I am looking for literature on the impact of swales (or other permaculture technology) on increasing soil moisture in high, arid areas or the impact on wildfire mitigation. In some climates, they can potentially oversaturate the landscape, leaving a designer with difficult growing conditions. Kyrgyzstan For vegetable gardens, smaller swales are usually better. Hungary Poland so terracing is a better approach i believe. Slovenia Paraguay Palau Infrastructure: Dams, Roads and Swales Brazil Larger drainage areas and steeper slopes result in flow velocities that are too high to allow adequate treatment and may cause erosion of the swale bottom and side slopes. Singapore Ghana Brunei Darrussalam Iran Jamaica Ensure that side slopes are no greater than 3:1 (4:1 recommended) The maximum drainage area should be five acres with a maximum site slope of 20 percent; Swales are designed to meet a runoff velocity target for a water quality storm as well as the peak discharge from a 2-year design storm. You said steep a couple of times and with your context of equatorial tropics i would be very careful about putting swales on such slopes as i know a couple of stories of famous designers who did so and the mountain came down. Swales without trees can possibly be even more damaging than the flow of water they have pacified. Mauritania New Caledonia Niue Are Small-Scale Farms the Key to Feeding the World? Luxembourg As a general criteria, if your swale system overflows in a normal … Cayman Islands Otherwise, spillways are simply put beside the dam wall and allow water to continue its journey downhill. Azerbaijan Why We Use Swales and How to Do It Appropriately. Germany Those aren’t, I think, good signs. Your email address will not be published. Croatia/Hrvatska Papua New Guinea If you need to plant on a steep slope, you’re best to implement terraces. A dry swale with an underdrain is a relatively shallow, ... with the main difference being the step pool is employed on relatively steep longitudinal slopes. Netherlands Antilles Bangladesh Bouvet Island Mud Slides On reasonably steep slopes where there were once deep rooted trees, the soil built up over centuries with the trees anchoring the top layers of soil to the bedrock or more solid substrate below. Mayotte Gabon There are a few reasons, with regards to water, that we use swales. Algeria Malta Constructing my front yard swale, 2011. Hello Kelly, as stated in the article any slope greater than 15 degrees is unsuitable for swales. Botswana Check dams made with large stones can become beautiful landscape features. Just before snowfall, the slopes were generously seeded with Minnesota Native Landscapes “Steep Slope Mix” and a cover crop. That usually means you’re looking for good drainage for your young trees, not water-logged soil. Feeling pressured to buy Christmas presents? Seychelles Here, runoff flows over vegetation and normally doesn’t pick up much sediment. French Guiana Turkey On steep slopes, it's generally best to plan the swale so it runs laterally along the slope with a slight downhill pitch, which will create a slower flow of water. Moldova, Republic of For swales on steep slopes (5% or steeper), berms or check dams can be used to slow down the flow of runoff and reduce the potential for erosion. This fact sheet is presented for … Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Another project in Durham, NC, monitored the performance of a carefully designed artificial swale that received runoff from a commercial parking lot. Switzerland * Taiwan The other reason trees are vital to swale systems is that their roots stabilize the landscape, especially the berm, that loose pile of soil build on the downhill side of the swale, and the backside of the excavation. water can’t move uphill without a pump). As that water is pacified, swales also spread it out over the landscape rather than having it concentrate only in specific topographical areas, and they hold the captured water in place until it is able to soak into the soil. France Virgin Islands (British) Lesotho A landslide would put a real kink in your gardening plans. United States El Salvador United Kingdom Spain Without the trees, the swale is missing and integral part and function, not to mention that trees are equally as important to maintaining water cycles. Slopes between seven and 10 per cent, should accommodate some level change within the building footprint. Aruba Syrian Arab Republic Swales also perform the opposite function, taking on the overflow of dams that have reached capacity and spreading and soaking the excess water across the landscape. India Oman Egypt Guyana Northern Territory Where we place swales is also significant, and it’s important to remember their relationship with water when doing so. US Minor Outlying Islands Portugal Country * How to Build a Swale on Contour Successfully Lastly, swales are used to grow trees. Bahamas Pitcairn Island Qatar Saint Pierre and Miquelon Runoff really is only a problem in rather particular circumstances, and can often be solved fairly easily with trees, ground covers, organic matter or other soil amendments. I will align the anticipated drip line of the full grown fruit tree with the toe of the swale berm. Lastly, swales should have trees downslope to regulate the water and stabilize the soil, which means putting a swale just uphill of a building (and its foundation), with nothing between them, probably isn’t a great idea. Isle of Man Benin Antarctica In the greater Pittsburgh area, outcrops of swelling clay (i.e. I think the main confusion is thinking that runoff is always a bad thing. Planting groundcover when landscaping steep slopes should be a large part of your landscape design, which can include shrubs, perennials, and even some landscape trees to create shade. Norway South Africa Using swales for these reasons can prevent both floods and droughts, which make them a pretty powerful tool. For me, this never amounted to a major problem. Then there’s the stories (mostly from tropical folks), that planting in swale depressions saves them water with their annual crops. Czech Republic I put swales in beyond questionable locations. I have swales and caved slopes on my lawn which are more prominent on one side of the yard. Macau Somalia Very rainy climates are usually quite lush and rounded landscapes, and there is already more rainfall than you can store. By the time they are full, the forest should be fully hydrated and regulating its own water needs, and the soil will have plenty of detritus from leaf-fall to prevent it from eroding and to help it with soaking up moisture. Rwanda Austria Australia Togo In these overflow systems, swales allow for the specific placement of level sill spillways, which set the water level on the dams, and this allows the overflow to be passively released wherever is advantageous for design. Northern Mariana Islands Comoros Swales—in permaculture terminology—are built on contour, which means they run level across the landscape. Saint Kitts and Nevis Swales, like any catchment, are a means of stopping water runoff, especially from roads and hard surfaces, and putting it to use rather than having it drain away. Compact any fills to prevent unequal … Argentina Get the latest permaculture news stories straight in your inbox, The Advanced Permaculture Student Teacher's Guide, The Permaculture Student 2: A Collection of Regenerative Solutions (eBook), Don’t Try Building Hugel Swales – This Is a Very and I Mean Very Bad Idea, How to Build a Swale on Contour Successfully, Bunyap Water Level: Measure Contour Lines & Swales, Experimenting with Overflowing Circles and Slow-Flow Swales, A Simple Principle to Overcome Permaculture Design Overwhelm, The Mud Room: Stacking Functions in Design, Why You Should Take a Permaculture Design Course. Haiti The natural features of steep slopes that make them susceptible to failures and mass movement are gradient and shape of slope, geology, soil, vegetation and climate. As I said in the beginning, I made many mistakes when attempting my first swales, but because I tend to work slowly and by hand, nothing catastrophic ever came of it. French Southern Territories Others recommend a 2-4% slope along the bottom of a swale whenever storm water is desired to travel to a particular destination, such as a pond, but sloped swales tend to erode … These can be made of compacted earth and reinforced with plantings and stone, or can be made of larger stones. Bermuda Any area with more than a fifteen-degree slope (about 1:3.75) isn’t appropriate for installing swales, as the water saturation may cause slides, which could be dangerous. iting of vegetated swales should take … Andorra Your email address will not be published. Slovak Republic Bhutan Congo, Republic of On steep slopes, swales will help prevent erosion, while still holding water and nutrients in the soil. >> If you’d like to create your own whole-system water plan (that possibly includes swales), follow my instructions for 6 maps to draw for the permaculture farm design. In my experience, if the tree is to be managed or harvested as in a fruit tree, they are better placed a bit below the toe of the berm. Sao Tome and Principe This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Swales are not appropriate on steep landscapes. On more gentle slopes, the swales can be much larger and can even be built by large machines (graders or bulldozers even!). Queensland Heard and McDonald Islands Trinidad and Tobago Tajikistan Over the next several years, the landscape will become fully hydrated, which will make it drought-resistant, and the groundwater sources will begin to recharge. Lithuania North Korea Sierra Leone But, water isn’t the only function of swales, and it is, in fact, imperative that they be regarded as a tree growing system. Mexico Russian Federation Select flow velocity based on careful evaluation of the risks due to erosion of the measure, soil types, overtopping, flow backups, washout, and drainage flow patterns for each project site. so then you adjust the distance between the swales so they fill in a nice rain but don't get washed out in a big one. Roadside swales may pose traffic hazards in residential subdivisions. Sounds like your slope is too steep for swales Kelly, have you thought about terracing? The steep slopes needed immediate protection and vegetation. Fiji Bosnia and Herzegovina I missed the message on what exactly the entire swale-system accomplished and required. Senegal Cuba Guernsey Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Gambia Infiltration is the dominant unit process for stormwater control. East Timor Turkmenistan In arid climates that have runoff, you need to capture and pacify it, but a gabion silt field would be better suited for such a landscape. Saint Helena Pakistan He has lived as an expat for over a decade, worked in nearly a dozen countries, and visited dozens of others in the meantime, subjecting the planet to a fiery mix of permaculture, music, and plant-based cooking. Swales work perfectly fine in all mixtures of soil media sands, sandy loam, pebbles, clay even volcanic ash has now proven to be fine, the … Bahrain A swale is one of those permaculture terms that probably gets thrown around to readily (or inaccurately) and perhaps implemented irresponsibly. Apr 18, 2014 - Swale on Steep slope. Equatorial Guinea Yemen Saudi Arabia Marshall Islands In wet areas without an annual summer drought, you don’t really need to worry about watering your trees much – mainly weeding and mulching. Iceland If the swale trench isn’t dug exactly on the level contour, the water won’t go where you want it to. A consultation I did on a super steep slope in Cape Town, some good ideas here worth considering Falkland Islands Israel Denmark Montserrat Burkina Faso Turks and Caicos Islands Even more importantly, they must be excavated to have level bottoms so that the water rests evenly within in them, soaking throughout the terrain rather than congregating in a particular area. Swales are not appropriate on steep landscapes. While swales don’t have any particular size or measurements, there are certain rules that must be adhered to when building them. Eritrea Angola Determine annual rainfall. Cape Verde Djibouti Using swales can vastly improve the water availability of dams, as well as the usefulness of overabundant water harvesting in them. Can swales be used on a steep slope to stabilise the soil? Kazakhstan Greece San Marino United Arab Emirates clay that is susceptible to large volume changes due to its moisture retaining capability) are generally sparse (USGS, 1989). Water saturation on steep slopes greatly increases the rate of "slump" and can lead to catastrophic mud slides, Write for us, send us your pics, or give us your feedback Ukraine Swales are tree growing systems and work perfectly in all climates by adjusting spacing to both climate and slope. Puerto Rico Suriname Chile Often I was building diversion ditches (the terminology gets muddle in the migration between the US and Australia), and these have slight pitches rather than level bottoms, such that they would slow and catch water like swales, even allowing some of it to soak in, but ultimately move it towards a particular destination. Swales are also commonly used in conjunction with other water catchments, especially dams, ponds and gray water systems. I was working by myself with shovels and hoes, which meant the results were small and any failures easily remedied. Swales can be adapted to almost any environment but may not be appropriate for areas with a high water table or on extremely steep slopes. Italy Zambia Central African Republic The other issue is the steepness of the slope. Ethiopia Montenegro Tonga I end up with stagnant water and … Uganda find out how you can get involved here, Designing, building, making and powering your life, https://www.comuntierra.org/site/imagens/comunidades/comunidade82_1166.JPG, https://www.geofflawton.com/fe/77209-re-greening-a-mountain, https://orkoskey.com/2013/06/23/experimental-permaculture-steep-slope-stabalization/, https://www.permies.com/t/17423/permaculture/build-swale-steep-hillside, https://forums.permaculturenews.org/showthread.php?349-Swales-dams-and-steep-slopes, https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/07/140722-oso-washington-mudslide-science-logging/, https://permaculturenews.org/2013/11/22/making-terrace-garden/, https://www.nzdl.org/gsdlmod?e=d-00000-00---off-0fnl2.2--00-0----0-10-0---0---0direct-10---4-------0-1l--11-en-50---20-about---00-0-1-00-0--4----0-0-11-10-0utfZz-8-00&cl=CL1.1&d=HASH01c384e36cf9387c55ceb499.9.3&x=1, https://www.nzdl.org/gsdlmod?e=d-00000-00---off-0cdl--00-0----0-10-0---0---0direct-10---4-------0-0l--11-en-50---20-about---00-0-1-00-0-0-11-1-0utfZz-8-00&cl=CL1.136&d=HASH013e8d1a442c5a625761db09.2>=2, (You must log in or sign up to reply here. Uzbekistan Tunisia Afghanistan Reunion Island French Polynesia For instance, swales should not be built on a slope greater than about 15%. Western Sahara I know I'm late to this conversation, but if the slope is too steep (Geoff Lawton says 17% slope or more) you should NOT swale it due to the potential for collapse. On gentle slopes, make the swales … However, the weak performance of these swales was attributed to the high flow velocities in the swales, soil compaction, steep slopes, and short grass height. We are in the Nilumbik area and on an acre of steep, rocky clay soil, lots of native Eucalyptus. Vietnam Georgia Mali Belize Slopes greater than 5% need check dams to reduce flow velocities. Use masses of plant types when landscaping steep slopes (and in all landscape design). the size of the swale, both height and width. Cameroon They can cause the soil to shift and slide down the hill. Steep slopes can be net and pan earth worked with small catch pan basin mini earth worked for trees connected by diversion drains as net to trap and infiltrate water to each tree planted for steep slope recovery and stability. Cook Islands On steep slopes, shallow, small swales (only 40cms deep) can be dug by hand at a spacing of about every 10m. Tasmania

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