permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <london@metalab.unc.edu>]

On Mon, 2 Aug 1999 FranksFarm@aol.com wrote:

> Ok how about the construction of the dam and the overflow conduits?   Where 
> is the best place to put the dam...in center of lower end..or does it even 
> matter?

Regarding the outflow counduit - whatever design you use, the (possibly)
nutrient-rich overflow can be especially well utilized to irrigate and
fertilize a planting of lespedeza, through which it runs as it
dissipates over the back side of the dam. Lespedeza is an amazing plant. I
suggest it as a catchment and erosion control plant because it is very
drought resistant and will grow lavishly in hard rocky ground, the type of
fill that might be used in the dam itself. I can personally vouch for all
of the above. I have it growing (I planted it from seed a few years ago)
on a semi-steep embankment. Some of the plants are bushes, nearly 4 feet
tall with a huge spread. It benefits from nitrogen-rich runoff from the
field above which has big piles of compost. This planting has outcompeted
all nearby plants, Johnson grass, tall fescue, wild blackberries and
Japanese honeysuckle.