Landscaping for the Water

“Water is Life”. We say this phrase all the time. This whole planet is utterly interdependent on Water for its survival. Despite this, our actions say otherwise; we have greatly degraded our relationship with this element for our convenience. To “pave it, pipe it, pollute it” has been our modus operandi for a long time now. So, the question naturally becomes: How do we restore it? 

No single person nor single landscape will resolve our problems, but we can each play our part. Let’s look into some of our favorite ways to landscape for the Water and how we accomplished this at one of our community projects at Home Ground Habitats where we aim to create a sustained Pollinator Corridor.

These methods are designed to slow, spread and sink the water on its way to the culvert and ultimately, to the Novato Creek. 

1) Rain Catchment Basins – This series of catchment basins is pulling the water from diverted downspouts and sump pumps. Water-loving native plants such as Rush (Juncus spp.) and Sedge (Carex spp.) will filter pollutants and absorb more water in place. After the basins completely fill, they will overflow into other basins before they ultimately reach the swale below. 

2) Cobble-lined swale – This bar ditch was created at the advent of the asphalt road. Now, this swale is conveying water towards the culvert in an ecological fashion. Adding cobble here gives aesthetic cues of care and integrates the existing conditions into our design. Functionally, the cobble filters and traps eroding sediment before it travels all the way to the creek and it slows the water down.  

3) Straw Wattle – Wattle is placed below the plantings and will act as organic erosion control, trapping sediment and slowing water. You may have noticed, I already used those exact words several times. In permaculture design, we call this Planned Redundancy. Water is a powerful force, so we always plan ahead and prepare several methods that aim to accomplish the same goal. 

4) Healthy Soil – Healthy soil in tandem with climate appropriate, deep-rooted plants will act as the best sponge for when the rains come. We can begin to restore this degraded soil to a healthy state through working in some compost at the time of planting as well as sprinkling Rock Dust into our planting area. 

5) Climate Appropriate Plants - Low-water, native plants will fill this space with beautiful blooms that support pollinators as well as establishing themselves into drought-tolerance, therefore using less water. Native plant landscapes typically need 60-80% less water than their conventionally landscaped counterparts (CalScape).

6) Mulch – We use a natural wood mulch to protect, build and feed the soil which maintains moisture and reduces runoff. 

7) Water Caretakers – Whether it is replacing plants or clearing debris from pipes and downspouts, the built landscape we work with needs maintenance. The community members we worked with here will be taking an active role in this process.

These practices are adaptable and can be used almost anywhere to achieve the same goal, which is to restore and maintain healthy waterways that are clean for the salmon and fish as well as all other forms of life. As the late Luna Leopold said, “The health of our waters is the principal measure of how we live on the land.” 

Each landscape is a window into our relationship with Water. How can we shift it from one of extraction into one of respect and care? 

Sources:

Save Water with California Native Plants. CalScape California Native Plant Society. https://calscape.org/save-water