Building and Managing Gravity-Fed Ponds for Water Distribution
At 18:25 in
Why isn't everyone farming like this?
What happens here
Construct permaculture-style ponds on high terrain to capture surface runoff, utilizing gravity for water distribution. These ponds (a series of them can be built) are filled solely by rain and snowmelt, holding water that would otherwise cause downstream flooding. Position a water intake pipe 16 inches below the surface using a float and a metal weight on the bottom. This ensures the best water quality (avoiding surface debris and anaerobic bottom water). The system provides 70 PSI water pressure to 8 miles of buried water lines, feeding various livestock operations across the farm without pumps. Regularly remove any trees or unwanted vegetation from the pond's dam using hand tools like snips or loppers, as roots can compromise the dam's integrity.
Goal: Create a sustainable, gravity-fed water system for the entire farm.
Tools and materials
- Buried Water Lines — Distributing water across the farm
- Float — Suspending the water intake pipe at a specific depth
- Heavy Equipment — Excavating and shaping pond structure
- Metal Weight — Anchoring the water intake pipe at the desired depth
- Pond N/A — Capturing and storing surface runoff
- Snips/Loppers — Removing unwanted vegetation from pond dams
- Water Intake Pipe — Collecting water from the pond