the effect of the subterranean water on houses

i was wondering about trying to share premaculture ideas with a small desert town that i have been studying for years now but i was curious about what everyone had to say on the matter. the soil is a a mix of rocky and sandy loam and i was wondering that if earthworks such as swales and gabions were to be used on such a large piece of developed acreage, how might the water affect the structures already there. i was thinking that because the area is mostly sand it would just run down to the aquifer but then i thought about how terracing the surrounding hill either with rows of stones or acutally digging into the sand and laying mulch, would the water penetrate slow enough as to not disrupt the foundation of houses below the terraces. i guess what im really curious about is if anyone has any information regarding the matter because im sure im not the first person to think of this. if there are any guidelines about earthworks in general and the minimum safe distance an earthwork needs to be away from buildings as to not disrupt it in any way. thanks permies

ps. this is my first post on here so please... be gentle

Hi Eric,
The thing that makes a desert is when evapo-transpiration exceeds rainfall. Even with major earthworks, you will not raise the water table significantly because of these high evapo-transpirative losses which is due to dry air and high temps. What is possible though is to store much more water high in the soil profile where it is accessible to the plants you wish to grow.
Good luck and always ask questions.