Water Management
Climate change progressively leads to more extreme weather phenomena; dealing with all of them is the challenge. Flood retardation techniques, water harvesting and purification, drip irrigation systems and enhanced soil structure that returns water to the aquifers are but a few of the strategies in consideration. Applying those strategies to the ‘Mountain Spring’ project, we decided to extend already existing paths of water by redirecting it towards the field in a closed loop.
A rock column filled with sand and surrounded by branches is built inside the planting hole of the tree. The rocks and sand will ensure water always reaches deep inside the soil, minimising evaporation and inviting the roots of the tree to reach deeper.
A clay pot heated in under 1000°C transfers water directly at the roots as the jug “sweats” (perspiration). A technique to minimize evaporation during summer, derived from native cultures.
A deep trench is dug in between four trees. Rainwater will be redirected to the bottom of the trench irrigating the deeper roots of the trees. The trench is filled with organic matter and covered with a trellis leading to greater moisture retention.
