Rainwater Harvesting Presentation

Rainwater Harvesting Methods
What do we need to do with water?
Slow it, Spread it, Sink it!

Brad
Lancaster:
“Rainwater
Harvesting for
Drylands and
Beyond”
The 8 Principles of Successful
Rainwater Harvesting
Berm and Basin
• Good for planting trees in!
Planting microbasins
Mulching!
• Organic Matter (dead plants)
• Living Mulch (ground cover)
• Rock Mulch
Using hard runoff areas to fill mulched or vegetated
retention spaces: paved areas and roads.
Roofs are hard runoff areas
Swales
Swales on-contour
Off-contour Swale…
…aka diversion drains or diversion swales
Wide, level sill overflows (spreader drains)
Boomerang Berms
Endpoints point uphill and
are slightly lower, allowing
an overflow at one or both
ends when basin is full.
A good idea to reinforce

overflow point with rocks.
Cascading
• More, smaller
earthworks will
spread out flow
and stop
overloading
• Can combine
several
techniques
Boomerang berms to focus water around trees and
contour swales below on hillsides (can link to keyline
dams).
Swales/ Berm and Basins on Different Slopes
• The steeper the slope,

the narrower
earthworks need to be
and the more of them
we need.
• On very steep slopes

they must be reinforced
(with rock or concrete).
Overflows
• Pipes can be
necessary if a
road goes over
the top
• Can also use a

permeable
stone “wet
crossing”
Multiple Functions
Multiple Functions
Net and Pan
Upper half of
pan is
catchment
surface
draining water
to lower half
where water
infiltrates into
tree root
zone.
Check dams
Water moving downslope carries
with it sediment and organic
matter. The faster it moves, the
more it erodes and carries. In
gullies, erosion can happen fast.
Check dams are barriers that make

the water slow and pool,
depositing its sediment behind the
dam, forming a terrace.
Planting into
fertile sediment
behind dam is
recommended –
it will stabilize
the terrace and
is often fertile
and good for
growing.
Check dams can be used inside diversion swales
to control flow rate and erosion
Check Dam Apron
Importance of Planting after
earthworks
• Every time we move soil, we should be ready
to follow straight on with planting or seeding.
• Plan the planting and stabilisation of area
before starting the earthworks.
• Prevents erosion, fertility loss, damage to
earthworks.
• Often fast growing N-fixing species are best.
Understanding Slope and Contour (Maps)
• Level: flat lines at right angle to
slope, curving as slope
changes, around valleys and Valley
ridges. floor
• Where water will not flow
• Same height apart (intervals)

• Surface distance apart changes
depending on slope
• Each given a height above

“datum” – usually sea level, but
can be any other fixed point.
Contour in a landscape
Finding contours…
Water levels
Contour Lines
Distance between contours?
STEEPER SLOPE:
Closer together
GENTLE SLOPE:
Further apart
Vertical drop:
Generally, no less than 1
meter for erosion control
Surface Distance:
If using nitrogen fixing trees,
contour hedgerows be no
wider apart than 5 meters so
alleys get full fertility benefit
Knowing contour lines helps us to control erosion and
make integrated water retention earthwork systems…
• Contour plantings
• Swales
• Terraces
Alley cropping with nitrogen fixing trees
Biodynamics, crop rotation and other methods
can still be practiced inside this pattern
“Passive terracing” over time…
• Over time the accumulation of organic matter on the

back side of the treelines will naturally form a terrace
Also called “Green Terracing”
Can also be done with swales and
berms
Terracing
• Needs the most caution
• Progressive failure of poorly built terraces over

time can lead to severe land damage
• Not appropriate in soils prone to waterlogging

where rainwater infiltration can lead to saturated
subsurface conditions that stop water moving
down through the soil (e.g. very heavy clay
layers)
Terracing by hand or machine…
• Smallest version
are narrow
terraces called
“Benches”.
• Like making
roads.
Roads can also act like swales…
…or off-contour
swales/ diversion
drains.
They are hard

areas so will
have less
infiltration, but
can catch a lot of
rainwater to fill
retention spaces
Terrace Edges
Best way to
stabilise terrace
edges is to also
plant them!
Imprinting
• Small scale
infiltration basins
over a very wide
area for landscape
regeneration.
• Planted with
diverse pioneer
seed mix, often in
the same machine
pass.
Also organic matter blowing across landscape is trapped
in bottom of pits – “self-mulching” the seedlings
Where to Use?
• Abandoned farm fields
• Building sites
• Overgrazed rangeland
• Soils with rock up to 1ft in

diameter
• Slopes as steep as 2:1

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Rainwater Harvesting Methods

What do we need to do with water?

Slow it, Spread it, Sink it!

A good idea to reinforce

• The steeper the slope,

• On very steep slopes

• Can also use a

Check dams are barriers that make

• Where water will not flow

• Same height apart (intervals)

• Each given a height above

• Over time the accumulation of organic matter on the

• Progressive failure of poorly built terraces over

• Not appropriate in soils prone to waterlogging

They are hard

• Soils with rock up to 1ft in

• Slopes as steep as 2:1

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