The PermaDesign Weblog, with Nate Downey and Melissa McDonald!

Get Ready for El Niño, Harvest the Rain

by Nate Downey

In the desert Southwest sometimes we are faced by the double-edged sword of too much or too little rain.  Most often, it is the latter.  As rainwater harvesters, we can design systems that help on both ends of the spectrum.  Our swales, berms, check dams, and rain-gardens can help moderate the flow, and redirect water to our over taxed aquifers. The subject of the Times article below is a great example of another consequence of drought.  Mudslides and flashfloods can increase in severity due to the hardness of soil and lack of vegetation caused by months and years of little rain.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/17/us/a-wall-of-mud-in-california-and-warnings-to-heed-el-nino.html?_r=0

10/20/2015 | (0) Comments