Ben Falk on Swales
Article by Michael Pilarski
On August 7, I attended an hour and half webinar by Ben Falk put on by the Ecosystem Restoration Camps Foundation’s Deep Dive Webinar series.
Ben Falk is a permaculturist, perhaps best known for his work growing rice in paddies in his Vermont zone 4 climate. I highly recommend Ben Falk’s book, The Resilient Farm and Homestead. 2013. Very practical for homesteaders. Falk’s farm is in the Mad River Valley of Vermont. “This site is 10 acres of wet field and forest transitioning into an edible landscape of ponds, fruit and nut trees, forest and pasture, stone and timber structures and outdoor living spaces.”
Here are a few notes from the webinar:
When Hurricane Irene hit Vermont in 2011 there was massive flooding in the state with $743 million in damage. Streams became raging torrents. Valleys became lakes. It was categorized as a 3-in-a-century storm.
Prior to Hurricane Irene, Falk had built a system of swales, paddies and ponds on his 10-acres to hold water on the landscape. His property also receives water from a 15-acre property above him. Falk’s water harvesting system was able to hold the water from this 25-acre watershed of 6 inches of rainfall in a 10-hour event. It was only toward the end of the storm that the bottom settling pond started flowing, delivering a clear-flowing small outflow to the drainage below. Falk said, “If the water runs, make it walk”.
If a significant part of Vermont was treated with similar water features then the big floods and their damage to human infrastructure would be much reduced. Soil erosion will be commensurately reduced and thus the water quality and ecology of streams, rivers and lakes will be much improved.
Falk pointed out that these earthworks are easiest to install on farmland and not so much in steeper forested landscapes. They work least efficiently in the frozen winter. Do not use swales on wet slopes where waterlogged soils can lead to slumps. Swales are most useful in dry climates with heavy rain events. Some of his swales were built with an excavator, some with a tractor-mounted bed-making implement and some by hand. He can’t use keyline plows because there is too much bedrock close to the surface.
There can be some grade in the swale rather than it being completely on contour. 1 to 3% with the higher % on soils that drain well and closer to 1% for soils that are tight/clay. This is useful when trying to move water from water valley bottoms to the drier ridges. [Moving water in the landscape is taught in Keyline System of Soil and Water Management].
Here is the direct link to Falk’s webinar
https://www.ecosystemrestorationcamps.org/ecosystem-restoration-deep-dives-webinar-series/
You can watch other Deep Dive webinars at: https://www.ecosystemrestorationcamps.org/ecosystem-restoration-deep-dives-webinar-series/
The Deep Dive Webinar series features scientists and practitioners from around the world who are involved in the field of ecological restoration. Hosted by Timothy Sexauer, producer of the Muse Ecology podcast. Each Deep Dive is 2 hours long, including a question and answer session.
Ben Falk’s website:
http://www.wholesystemsdesign.com/who-we-are
[email protected]
802-343-9490
