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Water management

Nature follows water. It is a primary force determining what lives and dies. As permaculture designers, we design around water in our sector planning, aiming to use water as a creative force to our advantage rather than a destructive force in the way of flooding and erosion. One of the most famous designers of water management is Australian farmer, P.A. Yeomans, who developed the keyline planning system. In his scale of permanence, water is the third highest priority behind climate and landform. Its management is integral to any successful design. In the scale of permanence checklist adapted from P.A. Yeomans by Dave Jacke the identified aspects of water management include: Existing sources of supply: location, quantity, quality, dependability, sustainability, network layout and features (spigots, pipes, filters, etc.) Watershed boundaries and flow patterns: concentration and dispersion areas, including roof runoff patterns, gutters and down spouts Potential pollution sources: road runoff, chemical runoff from neighbors, etc. Flooding, ponding and puddling areas Possible sources of supply: location, quantity, quality, dependability, sustainability, cost to develop Location of all on-site and nearby off-site culverts, wells, water lines, sewage lines, Septic systems, old wells, etc. Erosion: existing and potential areas Watershed boundaries and flow patterns Our water is supplied by Wessex Water, which is connected to the main trunk locally. Most of their water is supplied by groundwater sources in Wiltshire and Dorset aquifers and 12 surface reservoirs fed by streams and rivers. However this has recently been recording below long term averages (70180%) and so designing to reduce dependency on mains water is incredibly important. The boundaries of our watershed flow can be seen in the image below. The only slope of our land is from the top to the bottom of the field, however a constructed bank & thick established grasses/covered soil reduce run off. Potential pollution sources Our immediate neighbours are small home gardens and the largest land use is next door who have camping and a fishing lake, they mow their grasses but do not grow crops or use pesticides or fertilisers. Elsewhere in our catchment we have several horse paddocks and fields with rescued farm animals. Our water has been tested due to the sheep however results have been of positive indication. This may change if any of the fields adjoining our smallholding were brought into intensive production. Erosion We endeavor to keep all soil covered at Brook End to reduce the risk of erosion, especially from hard rains as our beds are all horizontal. Our field if cultivated may be subject to erosion and if it were brought into production it would be advisable to work with the keylines and design a way to manage the water flow. At present the dense grass cover and bank constructed on contour reduce much of the water sheet run off. Water observations from full cycle analysis Slope from car park to vegetable patch is slightly muddy with small puddles following significant rain. Paths are only areas becoming muddy following rain, particularly the track if cars are driving to the field for camping. Several observations relating to water points e.g. tiring using watering can for each greenhouse, long way from tap. Using spray hose in pollytunnel isn't ideal due to pests & diseases. Flooding, puddling & ponding areas We are 15 metres above sea level. Please see the map highlighting our flood risk in the wake of sea level rises or defences failing in Somerset. Puddling areas is in the box of our observations. In terms of ponding areas, we have a natural pond in the corner of our field, which has for the last 5 or more years been overshadowed by a large conifer and has been subject to large amounts of organic matter from surrounding vegetation. We intend to develop and restore the pond as a biodiversity priority. There are no other ponds on site. Our risk of flooding would be heightened if land use changed around us, for example if land was brought into intensive cultivation or if areas were deforested. To the right is a map from the Environment Agency illustrating our risk of flooding without sea defences, which is a potential consequence of sea level rises or the collapse of infrastructure locally to manage the waters of the levels. This could create a number of significant local challenges, particularly in regard to pollution.
Nicole Vosper, Wild Heart Permaculture 2011

In this section I aim to explore these areas of water management in order to make design decisions. Existing Sources of Supply at Brook End * Mains water to the house with connectors through to the garden. Location of tap points include: in leylanddi hedge near pollytunnel, beside dome greenhouse, outside summer house, southern end of piggeries, one near compost toilets, one following the bridge in the field & one in corner of field near canvas structure. *Natural sources - via Brook, which flows around property (see base map), well in home garden.

BROOK END

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