First big rain at SouthWoods
Dams, Swales, Water Harvesting — by Murray Gray July 24, 2006
Following up on Testing the Dam in SouthWoods in Minnesota, here’s a series of pics showing how the new swales handled a decent storm.
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Testing the dam
Dams, Water Harvesting — by Murray Gray June 27, 2006
Following on from yesterday’s post on dams and swales in Minnesota, here are some pics of the system in action with the addition of the most important element: water.
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Dams and swales in Minnesota
Dams, Swales, Water Harvesting — by Murray Gray June 26, 2006
Hi folks! — we have been busy digging up Minnesota with dams and swales. This is just the beginning of the “Permaculture Research Institute for Cold Climates”. We’re now on route to California, hopefully to do some more serious digging. 
Here’s how we started:
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Comments (0)Water in the Mexican landscape
Dams, Swales, Water Harvesting — by Murray Gray June 5, 2002
Water gives life and can also destroy life.
When we allow rain water to flow gently over the landscape taking the most time making the most contact with earth water is most fertile. But, when running uncontrolled it can cause erosion and death. No food can grow on land which is eroded and farming can only flourish on fertile soil. But only eco-systemic farming systems can create soil.
At ITT we believe in eco-systemic production systems which allow interactive diversity to develop and to become stable and fertile. To achieve it, we must create a great number of useful connections between the diverse elements on our land.
Two weeks ago we initiated the development of our training centre in permaculture here in the dry tropics. On our site in the municipality of Ejutla, Oaxaca, Mexico, we get approximately 800 milimeters of rain per year. Before the rain gods open the water gates, we invited the water harvesting an earth works specialist Geoff Lawton from the Permaculture Research Institute in Australia to assist us in the construction of an efficient rain catchment and water administration system. Geoff an expert consultant in water harvesting and management with great earth dam and swale building experience in over 17 countries.
These are the basic principles our experts recommend:
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