NEXT LEVEL POND DESIGN

Permaculture Instructor Andrew Millison visits a site in Oregon that has installed an extensive series of masterfully built ponds that have renewed the water supply in a dry valley. The site is called The Ground, and you can find more about the site here:

Water Stories is an online community of water regenerators and Zachary has installed many epic water systems around the globe with his business, Elemental Ecosystems:
You can learn a lot more about his work at Water Stories.

More about The Ground:
Tabula Rasa Farms, the Ground's founding regenerative farm, spans 440 acres and is home to over 80 cattle, 75 pigs, 1,000 chickens, 500 ducks, 200 turkeys, and many vegetable crops. Over time, Brenda and her husband, Frank, have begun other enterprises—a farm store for farm-to-table sales, a bed and breakfast immersed within the farm, a restaurant in McMinnville serving farm-fresh food, and others. The Ground is fundamentally about connecting people to their food, their planet, and each other.

Digital Map Animations by Pearl River Eco-Design:

Andrew Millison’s links:

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[ArtworkAnon]

This was great. Beavers used to do this free on every creek.

[AlexPine]

Fixing the hydrological system one property at a time. Hell yeah! I am starting to feel like I'm changing from a pessimist to an optimist for my children's future.

[headgirlblues]

From Mollison to Millison, Permaculture is (imo) salvation and sanity in an otherwise upside down world. (Not forgetting everyone else, of course, just couldn't resist the name thing).

[threeriversforge]

Those overhead shots are what I use to illustrate to people how they can build a "chain of ponds" anywhere they find a shallow crease or fold in the land. You know that when it rains.... the water will flow down that natural gutter. So, if you put some small blockades, the Beaver Dam Analogs, along the way, you create a chain of very small little ponds that will do exactly what this larger version does. Sure, the water might soak into the ground within an hour, but that's okay. When you have a million little folds in the ground all slowing down a little bit of rainfall so it can soak into the ground, that's a huge win.

[nimeshmendes]

This was done in Sri Lanka in ancient times, it was done in large scale, lake systems that nurtured acres of forests and acres of farm land. This was made a intangible world heritage by Unesco aswell

[jswets]

This was one of the most enjoyable infomercials ever.

[constantincanciuc]

Wonderfull! I am a hydro engineer in Romania EU.. here we have strong legislation too, and I am very hapy to see this kind of videos! Thanks a lot! Respect!

[LivingWithGout]

Farms used to be holistic with grass, trees, livestock, ponds and fish. A sort of 4 dimensional harvest and not these colossal overgrazed deserts.

[BongLoy]

When I saw the ponds, I straight away knew it was Zach Weiss work, he has a way to design water harvesting structures that is very much his personal touch on the landscape, kind of like a painter would have his/her own style on its masterpiece.

Thanks for pinpointing beautiful projects, Andrew 12:51 ❤

[TheNightwalker]

I keep finding that here in germany the regulators are also looking for things to fit the existing box. But most regulators that came onto our farm and watched our mobile chicken but her where really exited that we can do it differently. Can't wait to plan our ponds and agroforestry systems this winter

[samuelross]

Those ponds are lovely. Can't wait to see them 20 years from now!

[BobyChanMan]

whenever i see one of these impressive projects, it always seems like its still a couple decades away from being fully grown in. I'd like to see a very mature system like this

[bluebug]

This is exactly how my neighborhood ponds in SW Florida are constructed. When it rains, there are multiple trickle ponds that the water has to pass through before entering the intracoastal waterway. There is much greenery all around these ponds which, in its own is a completely native ecosystem!

[leelindsay]

The ponds are awesome, but its beautiful that they are grazing regeneratively. Getting started where people have ample funds and education is much easier than situations where people don't have the extra funds, and may not have the prior experience. I enjoy the more simple situations that anyone can take part in.

[brianpruitt]

Slow, Spread, Sink and Share the Wisdom! Thanks for this inspiring video!

[lavidawithjoey]

You can absolutely blame any individuals involved with producing behaviors that create harmful consequences. That would be the logical, rational, and/or reasonable thing to do. Agricultural activities are protected in many states despite local ordinances that saying otherwise. Trust me, I would know from my experience the last 6 months in PA. The police sent codes to violate my rights (denied access, trespassed to obtain evidence) as a form of intimidation. This is a beautiful project that should be encouraged and incentivized all over the country without unnecessary government interference.

[bmaesays]

It's so good to see a success story of working with regulators. Having the civil courage to do the work and the grace and poise to make the work understood is incredibly important and paves the way for the next project. This is the way change happens. Congratulations, Zach.

[screwyshow]

Great video, good conversations between regulations and making changes to the ecosystems.

[erwinsegers]

This system was already applied during the 14th century in my home town Ternat in Belgium.... you can still see it in Gaasbeek ( a nearby town) and the castle of the 12th century

[bengtrobbert]

1% grade on the pond to pond road drain is 1/8” per foot. Plumbers use that 1/8” fall in buildings where the sewer connection is too high for standard 1/4”/foot fall. The pipe at 1/8” fall must be 4” diameter minimum.
Street sewer pipes are often run at 1/8” fall as the flow is adequate to carry solids downstream.