Nestled in a valley in the foothills, this idyllic property takes advantage of the Rio Chupadero as well as a venerable old acequia.

Today, the productive farmstead benefits from these natural sources of runoff, with a vegetable garden, vineyard, orchards, berries, and an ornamental landscape. But when we first became involved, water was actually creating big problems for the site. During weather events, millions of gallons of stormwater would inundate the valley, washing away precious topsoil and threatening the residence, barn, and other structures.

The owners sought San Isidro’s help to remedy the negative effects of stormwater, and turn it into an asset for the property. We focused on the major drainage channel located on their property: the place where all this water tended to converge. Our approach was to spread the water out over five acres, starting with a silt pond at the top of the property. This pond releases water into two main swales (infiltration areas on contour) that splits the runoff between the two halves of the rectangular property. These swales fill up, then spill into secondary and tertiary catchment areas that passively irrigate the various food production areas, gardens and native meadows.

Since its installation in the summer of 2013, we have watched this system perform well as the surrounding landscape thrives. It has mitigated the erosion crisis on the property, helped recharge the local aquifer with millions of gallons of water, and dramatically improved the overall health of the planting areas that are now supported by this simple design.