A swale helps slow down the rainwater runoff so it can soak in or directs it to a location where it won't adversely affect the environment. ... In many instances, building a rain garden goes hand in hand with constructing a swale to deliver water to that rain garden.

When should you not use swales?

Swales are not appropriate on steep landscapes. Any area with more than a fifteen-degree slope (about 1:3.75) isn't appropriate for installing swales, as the water saturation may cause slides, which could be dangerous.

What do you do with a backyard swale?

Here are just some of the options you can consider for attractively landscaping your swales:

1. Natural Grass. ...
2. Artificial Grass. ...
3. Gravel. ...
4. Turfstone. ...
5. Create a Walkway. ...
6. Design a Dry Creek Bed. ...
7. Plant a Rain Garden.

How deep is a swale?

There are no hard rules about the size of a swale, but the bigger it is the more water it can absorb during a rainstorm. Six- to 12-inches deep and 3- to 4-feet wide are typical dimensions. Smooth out the shape of the berm with a hard metal rake to form a planting bed.

What does swale mean in construction?

A swale is a depression created in the ground that carries rainwater by gravity away from your home and property.

How to Build Swales. What is a swale?

23 related questions found

How much does it cost to build a swale?

Swales are simple to construct and normally cost around $0.50 per foot to install.

Are swales effective?

Vegetated swales are most effective on soils that allow infiltration. If infiltration is desired, the underlying soil drainage rate should exceed 0.5 inches per hour. ... Drainage area and slope: Swales can be used to treat runoff from small drainage areas with up to 5 acres of impervious surface.

What is a natural swale?

A swale is a shady spot, or a sunken or marshy place. ... Such a swale may be either natural or human-made. Artificial swales are often infiltration basins, designed to manage water runoff, filter pollutants, and increase rainwater infiltration – green instances are the subterm bioswales.

What is the difference between a swale and a ditch?

To put it simply, a ditch is made to carry water away and a swale is made to collect and slowly release water into the landscape.

How do you maintain a swale?

1. SUGGESTED MAINTENANCE ACTIONS.
2. MONTHLY.
3. • Inspect your swale during and after storms to make sure that rainwa- ter has drained and there is no erosion. • ...
4. SEASONALLY.
5. • Mow grass no shorter than 3 to 6 inches. Remove and compost all grass clippings. ...
6. AS NEEDED.
7. • Reseed bare areas to avoid erosion. ...
8. DO NOT:

How much water will a swale hold?

With these dimensions, the swale has the capability to hold 15gals. of water for every foot of length. For a 100 ft frontage lot with one driveway would result in 1275 gals of water storage. A typical city block of 400 ft should be able to store about 10,000 gals.

How close can a swale be to a house?

A: A swale is simply a shallow ditch that is used to carry off water. Swales are often so wide and so shallow that you do not notice them. On most city lots, where homes are 10 to 15 feet apart, there is a swale between the homes.

Where should I plant on a swale?

Plant species at many of the ends of swales, ie at intersections; have grown to heights causing problems with sight lines. Vegetation in these areas needs to be reduced in height to allow vehicle and pedestrian sight lines to become clearer.

How do you make a permaculture swale?

The general idea behind digging the swale is that it should be about three-times as wide as it is deep, and the berm—the pile of excavated dirt—should be mounded to create the upper part of the bottom side of the swale. Make sure that the base of the swale is level so that the water disperses evenly.

Should I put rocks in my ditch?

The bottom line, according to this Do It Yourself article, is that drainage ditches exist to prevent water buildup on your property. Lining your small trench with natural stone helps shape the ditch. Stones will also slow the growth of grass and weeds, which can in turn slow the drain of water.

What does a swale do?

Swales follow the contours around the base of a natural or created slope, redirecting storm water and filtering runoff as it sinks into the soil, instead of keeping it in one place, like a rain garden. Plants suck up the water along a swale's gently sloping banks and sometimes down the center of the channel.

Why use a French drain?

French drains are primarily used to prevent ground and surface water from seeping into building foundations, however, are many reasons why people will install a French drain to redirect surface and ground water. These drains are often used to remove excess water from low areas, or extremely wet areas of the property.

Why is swale called swale?

Parts of it are a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I, National Nature Reserves, a Kent Wildlife Trust nature reserve and a Local Nature Reserve. The name "Swale" is Old English in origin, and is believed to mean "swirling, rushing river", or "rushing water". The Swale was originally part of a river.

What is a dry swale?

Dry swales, sometimes called grass swales, are similar to bioretention cells but are configured as shallow, linear channels. ... They typically have vegetative cover such as turf or native perennial grasses. Dry swales may be constructed as filtration or infiltration practices, depending on soils.

What is a swale permaculture?

A permaculture swale is a shallow trench dug along the land's contour, with a berm on the downhill side created with soil from the trench. All points along a contour line are exactly the same height above sea level. ... Permaculture swales can ease the effort of food production while improving the local ecology.

Does gravel help drainage?

Landscaping gravel also provides much-needed drainage so that water doesn't collect around the roots. Gravel and stone are easy to spread and easy to maintain.

How do you size a swale?

When constructing a swale with known side slopes, the width of the swale can be defined in terms of the depth. For example, 3:1 side slopes on a swale indicates that for every 1 foot of depth, each side slope will be 3 feet wide, for a total swale width of 6 feet.