Landscaping to Protect Our Aquifer

A group of BPC members and friends joined us on Saturday, May 17, at Terra Firma Permagardens (a BPC business partner) for a presentation by Peter Jensen that focused on strengthening our outdoor landscapes to protect our aquifer. 

Peter, a regenerative agroecologist, explained the importance of understanding the topography of one's property in order to see how and where surface water goes. He showed the group the hugel terraces that were built in 2023. These terraces are now filled with native plants and the ditch in front of them catches water and runoff, soaking into the logs placed under the terraces so that the soil retains the moisture.

In terms of promoting a meadow landscape, once it is determined where surface water flows, the grass at that point should cease to be mowed. Instead, mow pathways perpendicular to the hill so that you can walk through the area to be terraced, leaving most of the landscape unmowed to stop the groundwater from becoming runoff. Most importantly, Peter stressed the importance of maintaining a buffer of untouched plantings close to a pond and/or wetland area. 

The BPC is thankful for Terra Firma Permagarden’s partnership that clearly demonstrates its dedication to protecting our water resources.