Jr Saslo

Thank you all so much for the feedback and moral support

I've heeded some initial advice and made the swale wider and the slopes more gentle.

However, the next morning, one problem I'm already seeing is that the swale is naturally filling with water, either from gopher holes or is maybe percolating up? I don't know how deep our water table is, but our well goes down 300 ft so I don't think that's the problem. Also, the water that is pooling in the swale looks almost rusted.

I've attached a few more images of the project
1) Shows a better perspective of the drainage ditch and length of land I'll need to dig out to connect it to the swale (to start diverting some of the water)
2) A wider swale with slopier slides
3) A rusted spot on the side where I think water is coming out of? It all came overnight, and you can't easily visualize where the water is coming from.


A few other notes based on other comments:
1) Despite the trees, this is west facing and it will get ample sun in the summer/fall months.
2) I have a broad fork and use this to make the bottom of the swale more porous  and look for a different soil structure below this clay.

My next steps:
1) Need to ensure the berm is level and that the bottom of the swale is mostly level if not slightly angled so that the water carries to the furthest end.
2) Make the berm a bit more rounded so that it's easier to plant into .
3) Add a ton of organic matter into the base of the swale to start encouraging a transition away from the clay - perhaps Daikons!

Thanks again for all of your time and feedback!

Hi All - long time observer, first time poster.

I'm hoping to create a series of swales on my property (West Sonoma County, California) that tie into a large drainage ditch. The goal is to divert a portion of the water from the drainage ditch into a first swale, that will then overflow into a second, and then overflow into a third, before routing back into the drainage ditch and off our property.

With these swales, we plan on planting a series of fruit trees and native plants.

When I dug the first swale, they immediately started to fill with water from various gopher holes. It's now been dry for days and the water isn't draining. Any advice on how to encourage faster drainage in our clay soil? Add organic matter to the bottom of the swale? Any particular kind of organic matter?

I've added two photos to show the swale which was dug on contour with the help of an A-frame level ; and the second photo shows the drainage ditch that the swale will tie to.

Thanks in advance for any feedback/advice!