water security

here on Denman Island' Jesse Lemieux of Pacific permaculture Has been extolling the idea of saving our copious winter and spring Rain water to use during our coming 3 months of drought. We get over a meter of water a year and yet many people have to buy water for drinking or even elsewise. Now, Jesse is trying to get you to take his permaculture design course, but even so the info is valid. Heck so is the course vitally important if you can afford it. The price is even the most reasonable I've ever seen for a pemie course. Check it out at www.pacificpermaculture.ca.
If you can't afford the course here are a few ideas;
1/ bury dead logs under your garden beds and in the bottom of swales run on level, Logs hold an amazing amount of moisture and release it slowly.
2/ use fishscale swales[any good permie book will tell you how], or any other type of "pothole' system to cause the excess water to flow through the soil
3/ dig a clay bottomed[so it doesn't just drain into the soil] pond or dugout near the highest point of your property for gravity fed irrigation
4/ use rainbarrels, cisterns and tanks to catch roof water
5/ use greywater[be careful what soaps you use] to water your yard and garden
6/ slow down ditches- they drain the water too quickly for the soil to absorb it all- sometimes wetlands are very nescessary. Just make certain that the wetland you "reclaim' is on your land.
7/do NOT drain existing wetlands, and Do use them for gravity fed irrigation if possible.
8/ existing large trees hold back copious amounts of water and release it gradually into the soil.. Keep your trees
9/ organic soils full of humus will hang onto lots of water
10/ create hugelkultures- large raised beds with branches and twigs as their base
and I'm certain jesse has more ideas as well as some specific warnings about each of these methods. If you cannot afford his course please research carefully any method you try. Doing the wrong method in the wrong place can bring unhappy results.
Jesse's course will also contain info on so very much more.
I wish him success.
Tim