Swales

“Think of a water-quality swale as a rain garden in motion: It treats runoff while simultaneously moving it from one place to another.

Water-quality swales (WQ swales) are linear, vegetated, channeled depressions in the landscape that convey and treat runoff from a variety of surfaces. Runoff may be piped or channeled, or it may flow overland to a swale. As water passes through the swale, some runoff may infiltrate, or seep, into the soil.” - OSU Extension

——

Below we’ll show you how to use an A-frame to create swales - this tool is great for pinpointing contour lines on a slope, allowing you to dig the swale along a flat path. By following the land's natural contours, the swale can better capture and hold water runoff. Essentially, the A-frame ensures that the swale is dug evenly across the slope rather than sloping downhill, which is vital for its proper function.

————

In Asheville, NC, we tried out some ideas on a compact urban lot! Check out the numbers linked to the images below!

1. Connected with community

2. Shane to the BCS to it(only once;)

3. The land was prepped

4. Dylan presented the A Frame (you can learn about that here) - he established the landscape with the topography, and the neighborhood united like superheroes, ready to start digging!

5. We followed his flagged-design and created the swales/berms

6. We covered with leaf mulch

   1. Fava

   2. Red clover

   3. Vetch

7. The following day brought rain, revealing how the swales in the background interconnected, gradually saturating each berm as the water flowed downhill.

8. The result was a lush production of corn in May!