Should swales really be dispensed with in temperate humid climates?

I have heard a lot of trepidation and worry about swales being appropriate for various situations, and I wanted to talk a bit about the services they provide in different situations.

As most permies know, swales capture water and store it under the soil surface. With only that information, it seems that they have a useful function in drylands, but are strictly limited in other ways. The fact is, the water doesn’t just go a foot or two down below the soil surface, it seeps down hundreds of meters, which may not happen without swales, even in quite wet areas. This gives swales the potential to recharge aquifers, rejuvenate dead springs, and facilitate tree root penetration to extreme depths, which has great benefits for the trees and the soil. The trees will give better fruit, and be disease resistant, because deep roots mean good mineralization and water security for the trees.

Swales can charge ridge point dams and contour dams, both of which usually have severely insufficient catchment otherwise.

Swales improve the usefulness of all dams, by bringing extra water out on contour and soaking it in.

Swales are ideal tree planting sites, for reasons mentioned above.

Swales are not just good for soil hydration; as the water seeps into the soil, it sucks air after it.

The berm created by the swale is very well drained, which is especially useful in very wet areas.

Another function of swales is drainage, but it’s drainage in which the water isn’t lost, but remains accessible to plants and in wells.

Swales dilute nutrient and spread it out on contour, turning concentrated sources of pollution into unconcentrated fertilizer.

Swales collect organic matter and facilitate various creative events through periodic filling with water, and just the fact of being a low spot.

The two cons about swales that I have heard are that they can be frost pockets in cold climates, and water retention can be landslide risk on very steep slopes. To me, a few frost pockets are a small price to pay for the many benefits swales provide (frost pockets have their uses, as well). IMO, the frost isn’t going to cause many difficulties until you get really cold places, like zones 1, 2, and 3.