Dear David — regarding making water flow uphill…
SGH 2019
Remember when you and Brad and Sean used to go down to the gully and “manage the crik” ?
The 78 acres nearest the farmhouse is home to a project begun some years ago to encourage native grasses to grow to replenish the soil when turned under in fall, and grow them again during the summer months.
But how to get water to these places?
That is what W is doing, by some serious survey of the contours of the land and by cutting ditches and manipulating sluices in key places to redirect the precious water from winter snow and occasional rains in the mountains. The sculpting of the contours is a labor of love.
We ride the truck, or the WWII era jeep around the fields and uplands checking where the water is at any given time, and redirecting it with gates so that each area gets a share of the water in turn.
The momentum of the stream is everything and the altitude of the body of trapped water. Momentum can pool up over a ditch’s sides strongly enough to go down the other side! It can be collected, then, allowed to irrigate a certain area, or redirected to a far away set of ditches. Flooded into an area, the water can be slowly allowed to sub-irrigate an area. The soaked up water then travels underground (out of the sun and searing wind) downhill to thirsty roots downhill.
No pumps.
No city services.
Just a lot of thinking, experimenting and re-designing. And watching. Watching the weather. Watching the status of the ditches. Changing the contours of the soil to enhance the effectiveness of the watering of grass.
Once W’s acres have sipped their share of precious water, the stream continues under the road through a culvert toward other ranches
Eventually it finds itself in the Rio Grande, flowing toward the nearest ocean or bay, as all water does, seeking sea-level. ….Unless it is carelessly wasted and sent into dust holes, sucked up by the sun into high, cool clouds where it decides to rain..or not.
