Hi! Im in Portland and have been inundated with rain as well. I am still a novice but in case it’s helpful I’ve attached a few videos of my situation. The first is where the water comes from since a lot of people asked about that. Mine just pops out of the ground during big rains. Never in the same spot, but in the same general area. So I built some swales downhill from that area (video 2). As you can see, two are holding strong and the middle one is a disaster. I’ll build it up and plant it like crazy when the water recedes.
One thing I’ve learned about my own property in 3 winters is that I get too much water to capture. A lot of the information I’ve read over the years is from Australia or the US Southwest where they capture every drop. That’s just not going to happen on this property. So my swales might be described more like switchbacks where the water is captured during small rains, but is allowed to run like a river during big rains. I think I’ll always be adjusting and playing with it… I love making changes in the fall and then anxiously awaiting the winter rains so I can see if it works.
Helps me look forward to a season that is otherwise not my fav.
**I can’t figure out how to post a video so I attached screenshots instead.
