A River Runs Through It

This is my hope. This winter, I discovered a few springs popping up in my garden, mainly right where I had dug fenceposts. By January, two of them had turned into faithful sources of clear water. Upon inspection of a few local hydrology studies at my local library, I have come to the realization that my garden is a draining pond for the valley. Furthermore, because we are located directly on the faultline of two geological formations that make up most of the southern gulf islands, and those forms seem to have cleavages that point in our direction, the groundwater we have comes from as far away as the next valley over. The water that gurgles up is clear in some places. In others it is rich with silt, likely from nearby construction. They say most of the soils on this island are created through rainfall and groundwater erosion. This is my soil to a T - thick and fudgy, with outcroppings of clay.

So, in my garden, a river (seasonal) runs through it and deciding how to treat this excess water is no small feat. My initial idea was to dig a trench, run big-O drain pipe along it, and back fill with gravel. The resulting soil sure would help create some raised beds. I got as far as digging the trench, but am not all that keen on filling it back in. It looks and sounds so nice!

I'm not sure how long the water will be running. Our heavy rains usually last here until June or so. Either way, I have decided to keep the stream open, and there are a few ways of treating a stream running through a garden.

Take Inspiration from Nature
If you dig a stream bed, you can't expect it to look natural right away. Observe local streams and the plants growing around them. Plants at the edges of streams (no matter how small) can help keep the sides from eroding. Locally, streams are surrounded with sedges and rushes, ferns, and on a larger scale, western red cedar and alder trees. Rocks are also important, often causing a bend in the stream. Fallen logs could also create a bend. It's important to have a bridge across in some places, a flattish log or rock could serve as this in a natural treatment. Most of all, keep it simple and plant things that like water.

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