Identifying the Keypoint- and what if it is in the woods?

I have recently purchased a property and am moving to it in a couple months.
For now, since I am 2000 miles away, I am just playing with ideas from photographs and contour maps of the property.

I am trying to identify where the possible "keypoint" and "keyline" would be, and best I can tell, I think it would end up in dense woods.

Anyone feel like looking at the contour map and letting me know if they agree about the location of the keypoint- or disagree?

Thanks,

A

Your topo maps show these areas as the thicker, darker yellow lines. Think "peak and valley", those are the keys.

I don't see obvious keypoints/lines, but I do see something actually quite uncommon on a small property....a saddle between two high points. This creates the opportunity to catch runoff from a large portion of both hills into a single dam, which ends up being uphill of significant portions of the rest of the site. And most of the area in question, both for the dam and the associated diversion drains, looks like it is under scattered trees and open land rather than thick woods.

Andre,

It looks like the keypoint for the valley may not lie on your property per se, but that does not mean that you cannot utilize keyline principles on your place. I took one of your maps and put blue colored arrows on it showing how I think the surface water will run as it approaches, crosses, and leaves your property along the northern (up) edge of the map. If up is north on these maps, then the small round yellow circles (near the pond on the north edge of property) are the lowest points in that valley as water enters from the northeast. That is probably why the pond was placed there so it could catch runoff.

I drew black circles around the saddle point that Alder pointed out in his post. Technically they should be further down slope than shown, but MS Paint is a pain to edit in.

Each side of a saddle drains in a different direction so you could have a pond on the north side of the saddle with diversion drains bringing water from the higher points of the ridges east and west - AND - another pond on the south slope of the saddle doing the same thing.

In the valley along your northern edge I put red lines showing how you could keyline plow -OR- place swales to slow and spread the water out across the valley floor.

Got to run for now, but hope this helps.

Kevin

Andre LaS : Very interesting, I am only guessing, but I believe that the distance between Contour Lines is 2 Meters? It would be nice if the contour line were in feet -

But mostly unlikely ! So To start your new land is at a higher elevation that your posted location in San Diego !?! I am going to assume that the top of the photo is

True North.

You have an obvious water feature. The Black Pond very close to to Your Northern Property Line. There is a line of dark green vegetation showing a natural drainage

line flowing west nearly paralleling the same property line ! There is a good point for a secondary long-ish dam just below the Northwest corner of your property !


Unless I have missed a major terrain feature I believe this is your key line, with the exception of some areas selected for pocket ponds or stock tanks all your Swales

should promote drainage towards this line.


The principle land feature is a ridge line of high ground starting at the Eastern property line that parallels a local access road ! The highest ground is located close

to that point near the building cluster and tending to drop to the west towards a principle stream not on the property !


To help clear identification of this land feature 1) click on the photo which will increase its size 2) Taking your right hand use your middle finger to perform the

one finger salute. (A.K.A. 'the bird')

Hold your right arm out in front of you rotating your palm away from you ! By holding your right hand horizontal and then moving it over the photo from the right

hand (eastern?) side you will be able to cover up the just the ridge if your Finger/hand is close to your face .

The Worked field located in the lower corner seems to be divided by a band of greenery probably marking a water course parallel with your property line very near

your Southeast property line ! If this spot is presently muddy now- it may be worthwhile to have a diversion dam at this point to carry run-off westerly parallel to your

Southern property line and install a stock tank near the South Western corner of your Upper Worked Field !

Almost directly South of your Black Pond the ridge line creates a Saddle. If we were standing in the saddle facing toward the Black Pond the ground would fall away

from our location both in front of us ( toward the pond ) and directly behind us, Higher ground would be to both our right and our left !


Again as though we were standing in the saddle, the hill to our Left drains to the south on rather steep ground! Even given that, it may be possible to add a swale to

the Southern slope of that hill along Contour line between 1254 and 1260 and diverting surface run of towards the saddle; but draining to a spot north of it if possible.

Initially into a stock tank or pocket pond while its seasonal flow is monitored .


Directly to the north of the ''Left hand hill'' is an interesting terrain feature which may be an extensive rock shelf or Plateau. On its Northern border note the pinched

nature of its contour lines . That and the small clossed-circle contour lines represent an incomplete Channel. This area may deserve a Swale line that diverts surface

water run-off from your northern property line back towards the East and towards the "Black pond''! Remember our goal is to slow runoff by spreading it horizontally

and allowing it to sink into and raise the water table.

I have not speculated on directing runoff from around the Farm Buildings Area . This will depend on effectiveness of water capture And the needs of the worked field

already mentioned south of those buildings !

I hope that this was timely and helpful, for the Good of the Crafts . Big AL