Living LandscapesDESIGN
Module 09 / 25
The water map leads to a closer study of landform. This module explores earthworks as design choices that affect the movement and storage of water, with readings on levelling, microcatchments, check dams, and planning.
Use the keyline, swale, and pond examples to consider how a proposal depends on the site. Your practical work focuses on measuring a contour with an A-frame. Calibrating it and recording the limits of your measurement will help you connect a line on the map with what you can establish on the ground.
What you’ll learn
Use your own copy, buy the book, or borrow it through a library when possible. If you are local to me, contact me about borrowing a copy. You can also contact me for information about digital or other access to assigned readings.
If your edition uses different page numbers, contact me and we can match the correct section.
For articles, excerpts, videos, and other resources, use the links in the lesson. If a video player does not load, try its source link. If you cannot access a reading or media resource, or it has no link, contact me with the module number and resource title.
Ask about books, readings or media access ↗Book reading
Douglas Barnes
Pages 48 to 51: Levelling instruments, especially “A-Frame” on Page 51
Pages 79 to 80: check dams and gabions
Pages 109 to 110: dryland microcatchments
Pages 38 to 39: Permission and planning — read before considering construction
Dams, drainage changes, and infiltration earthworks need site-specific assessment, appropriate permissions, and qualified design where necessary.
Book access & editionsBook reading
Ben Falk
These pages were assigned in Module 8. Apply them here to the earthworks question: how a proposed change to the ground could affect the water routes on your map. The planning and measurement readings add the assessment needed before considering construction.
Pages 128 to 163: water and earthworks
Book access & editionsKeep the planning and measurement readings in mind as you examine these earthworks examples. Pay attention to the connection between the shape of the ground, the intended movement of water, and the conditions each approach depends on.
Watch
YouTube
Examine how several earthworks function as one water-harvesting system. Use the relationships among slope, runoff, infiltration, and overflow to interpret the contour, swale, and pond resources in this module.
If the player does not load, use the source link.
Watch
YouTube
Watch this video for the larger design context. Use the linked contour and swale resources in this module for the practical overview.
If the player does not load, use the source link.
Watch
YouTube
Compare this method with the A-frame method used in the field exercise. Note how level points are established and checked, and what differs in the equipment and setup.
If the player does not load, use the source link.
Watch
YouTube
Read the layout shown here alongside “A swale in section,” “An Introduction to Swales,” and “When Swales Can Kill.” Consider how contour, soil, slope, and overflow affect whether a swale fits the site.
If the player does not load, use the source link.
Read
permaculturereflections.com
Read this together with “When Swales Can Kill” so that the intended function of a swale and the conditions affecting its suitability remain part of the same design question.
Open resourceRead
permaculturereflections.com
Open resource
Open full-size image
The dashed line marks the original slope. The excavation and mound on its downhill side show a swale in section, complementing the plan view you are making with the contour exercise.
Watch
YouTube
Compare the water-harvesting features in this case with the swale examples. Follow their connections through overflow, infiltration, access, and ongoing care before considering the pond-sealing reading.
If the player does not load, use the source link.
Watch
Google Drive
Compare the terraces, raised beds, ponds, and access routes with the level and contour methods in this module. Consider how those relationships affect the planting space and work on a slope.
Watch on Google DriveWatch
YouTube
Treat pond sealing as one part of assessing a pond proposal. Relate the example to the ground conditions and planning questions in the earthworks reading.
If the player does not load, use the source link.
For the contour exercise, use a stable A-frame with a freely hanging string and weight. Mark where both feet stand. Mark the string position on the crossbar, exchange the feet on those same ground marks, and mark again. Halfway between the marks is the level reference. Recheck calibration before use. On a gentle, accessible site, mark a short sequence of equal-height points, check it again, and transfer it to your map. Record one source of measurement uncertainty.
Follow the A-frame calibration and mapping instructions. Record the contour on your site map, along with a note about measurement uncertainty. Keep the map and note in your design portfolio for review with your final project.