There are captions on the photos in the link, but I’ll give more info here.
When we moved to this house we noticed a … uniquely constructed french drain extending > 100 ft from the house that connected to the downspout at the house and to the roadside ditch at the front. The previous residents left us a letter with info about the house and we learned this was to direct spring thaw away from the septic field.
It was graded poorly, and for a lot of the backyard it’s actually higher up than the main grade.
It was accurate to say there is pooling water in the back. I’m not too concerned about the septic field, but it does create a boggy environment.
Almost on a whim, I decided to dig a storm water pond. I am a water engineer, but not that kind of water engineer. I have a laypersons knowledge of hydrology and ponds. I watched a lot of YT videos on permaculture water systems. I picked a low point and started digging. I added a swale because I noticed the water pools in shallow but broad area. My partner has largely taken over the heavy lifting but we continue to work together on it.
We noticed an improvement in the first spring after we dug it. It did spill over, but overall the water was more contained. We continued to dig, and a lot of the work was dredging out soil that dissolved into it. We thought about clear fill and PVC tubing, like the french drain, but opted for a more natural look.
I want the bottom to be permeable. This pond is for redirecting water, not for storage. We rely on well water and even though the water table is very high in the area (and feels like it won’t ever run out), I feel like it’s important to give the water a path to recharge it.
This year we had very little snow melt but lots and lots of June rain. The pond kept up for the most part. We see where we want to expand it and will likely use portions of the existing french drain as an overflow.
There are other areas of the yard that pool, largely on the fence with our other neighbor. Initially I wanted the swale to continue across the whole yard, but it doesn’t seem feasible, as we want to bring wheelbarrows and other tools over and I don’t want to construct a bridge (although it sounds very cute!)
And yes, we use Bacillus thuringiensis pucks for mosquito control. It’s safe for other aquatic life, as evidenced by our new frog friends!
I can’t wait to see how this continues to grow and change.
