A good seed mix for a berm/dam

I'm in the process of building a pond/berm. I'm interested in planting it with annuals and herbaceous perennials in order to hold the soil in place but not produce deep woody roots that could compromise the dam. I'm in North Idaho with a cold temperate dry summer/wet winter climate so they need to be able to handle the climate. I am interested in planting it with edible species and forage species for livestock and wildlife. Does anyone have any recommendations for a mix of species that would suit my needs? The more species the better so I am wanting a very high diversity.

So far I'm thinking strawberries, lambs quarters, asparagus, small burnet, white clover, alfalfa, sainfoin, etc. I'd like a much longer list. I already have mullien, teasel, bull thistle, yellow star thistle and a few other species I'm not sure of but I don't really plan on removing anything unless it takes over everything else.

Is this what you're looking for?

Kernza, shown here in a scene from Patagonia's film "Unbroken Ground," is a grain developed to have very long roots, which pull carbon from the air into the ground.  

https://www.businessinsider.com/patagonia-global-warming-solutions-2019-4

Welcome to Permies, Travis.

There's a spot on your member profile where you can tell us, in brief or in detail, anything about your location that can guide our suggestions. Where in the world are you located?

Some people advocate bamboo species that spread by runner, that form dense, interconnected webs of root zones. I think that some of Geoff Lawton's videos show the utility of bamboo in areas adjacent to swales and dams that were directly in the spillway, intended to not only weather the flow, but trap sediment and stop erosion. I believe a follow-up video showing a storm's aftermath revealed that those plantings resulted in a buildup of sediment on the upflow side, reinforcing the swale structure.

-CK

I added a pond/berm 18 months ago and covered it in deep mulch. I sowed clover and wild carrot and a fair bit of volunteers have joined the mix, mostly curly dock and plantain. I have pulled saplings that volunteered in order to keep the deep roots from breaching the berm. So far so good.

Grasses are a good idea for what you're doing, too, as they produce a dense, shallow root mat. Would a prairie guild analigue work?

-CK

Not sure if this crosses over to your climate. This is a "dam slope mix" i purchased for my new pond. Its for texas. Maybe the type of plant can be cross referenced to something suitable to your area.