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Water Conservation Techniques, Group 1, Sean Richardson, Talia Cowan,…
Water Conservation Techniques
Holding water in soil/Building rich soil
Cheapest way to store water
3 parts dry soil, holding 1 part water
Adding 2% Organic matter to soil to increase water retention up to 75%
Hummus+Organic Material act as sponge
1 Ft deep of land at a certain dimension, holds same amount of water as 3 inch deep lake of the same dimensions
Hummus absorbs lots of water without losing ability to hold air
Waterlogged plants drowned from lack of air
Most soil low in organic matter due to developpers
Leading cause of dry/depleted soil
Stored water = underground reservoir
Aids plant growth for 10’s of feet below source
Proper plant placement based on water needs.
Contribution to garden's living structure.
Small wetland in your garden to treat graywater naturally.
Water hungry plants where runoff accumulates and placed in zone 1
Water Collection
Galvanized steel container
Metallic roof (not tar roof due to carcinogenic materials)
Water Usage
(Average family) 100-200 gallons per day
100 gallons for a 1,000 square ft garden
Dam/Tap water
Flooded wild land
Inhibits fish migration
Large scale treatment
Well Water
Electric pump = More energy consumption
Personal cost water treatment
Plant densely/Creat shade
Shading soil can reduce evaporation loss by over 60%
You can Densely pack and stack plants together to create shade
Plants can also shade each other to reduce water loss
Think of what sprouts/grows first and
Planting drought Tolerant plants
Use plants that are suited to the available water
Use native plants where you can
Familiar Wildlife food/Habitat
Types of drought tolerant plants
Mediterranean
Mediterranean are more suited to switches in dry to wet and may work in non desert climates
Desert
Cannot survive long with wert roots
Good for drught
Mulch deeply
Mulch reduces water loss
Mulched soil won’t warm up in spring as fast as naked earth
Rocks can also be mulch and can extend the growing season or help grow hot-weather plants in cool regions
Mulch adds Hummus
Mulch prevents, protects soil structure
Know land first & understand the needs of the land
Understand how to meet the needs of the land to engage with the land
Engage with the land using a variety of techniques to create a symbiotic and resilient environment
Continue building a relationship with the land by observing for feedback from the land and in turn responding to the feedback to improve the conditions
We can see how relevant it is to know the history and relationship with the land when trying to solve a bigger problem by looking at case studies of Indigenous water conservation. (Behailu, B. M., Pietilä, P. E., & Katko, T. S. (2016). Indigenous Practices of Water Management for Sustainable Services: Case of Borana and Konso, Ethiopia. Sage Pub.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/215824401668229
)
When we do not understand the history and culture surrounding the land, we create more problems instead of solutions when trying to solve the main issue.
We need to understand the nuances behind the problems we are trying to solve.
Group 1
Sean Richardson,
Talia
Cowan, Thomas MacFarlane,
O’Shae Ho-Sang