24 Water
The design for water is the bones of any Permaculture system. The basic infrastructure, or the ‘mainframe’ of the design, is shaped around working with the flow of water. Whatever the climate zone, water needs to be a primary consideration. This video provides a very basic outline of the way we view water and the strategies we employ to design for water in the Permaculture landscape.
Featured Links
- Al Baydha Project
- Brad Lancaster: Harvesting Rainwater for Drylands and Beyond
- Chinampa
- Ethel M Chocolates Living Machine
There are several different projects highlighted in the video, as well as images of a number of others that are not named. Browse these links below to see a number of project examples that are focused on water systems. Whether you are working with water scarcity, abundance, or over-abundance (flooding), the Permaculture perspective on water can help you assess your situation and use clear strategic guidelines to choose the best design for the water on your site. Remember the watershed, and that all water is ultimately connected in the hydro-logic cycle. When your design works harmoniously with water, then your piece of the watershed is functional, and helps to benefit everything downstream from you.
Additional Resources
Dryland
- Dryland: The Man Who Farms Water by Brad Lancaster (inactive link as of 05/17/2021)
- Brad Lancaster Books: Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond
- Zvishavane – Dryland Water Harvesting
- Swales for Water Retention in Drought Stricken Areas (inactive link as of 05/17/2021)
- Kykotsmovi Village Desert Gardens
- Build Sand Tanks for Dry Land Water Storage by David Bainbridge (inactive link as of 05/17/2021)
Temperate
Video: Sepp Holzer – Aquaculture: Synergy of Land and Water
Tropics
- Chinampas
- Chinampas of Mexico City (inactive link as of 05/17/2021)
- The Art of Gardening on Wetlands
- How to Build a Gravity Fed Aquaculture System
Multi-Climate
- Constructed Wetlands Treat Waste Water with Weeds
- Common Reed for Constructed Wetlands
- Building an Urban Greywater Reedbed
- Magical Orchard Greywater Design
- Building a Simple Biological Greywater System
- WET Systems for Waste Purification and Resource Production
- Urban Street Runoff Harvesting
- Water Filtration Systems
- How to Construct a Dirt Catchment for Harvesting Surface Runoff by Daniel Howell (inactive link as of 05/17/2021)
- Permaculture International Water Solutions
- Rainwater Catchment Calculations
