Planting Water

Transforming the Mountain Headwaters of the Rio Grande
River flowing through a canyon with the sun behind a cloud at the top of the cliff

What is Planting Water?

Using indigenous practices shared by knowledge keepers, Planting Water aims to repair the mountain headwaters of the Rio Grande by slowing the flow of water and redirecting it into the earth. 

Planting Water nourishes the earth by slowing the flow of water and directing it back into the earth to feed the aquifers and turn water, that would otherwise evaporate, into life.
Man in blue jeans and a red bandana laying on the ground leaning into a pool of water
Planting Water is based on working with the natural contours and materials of the land using what the earth provides in abundance: rock, wood and dirt. We use a system of strategically placed catchments to sink water and direct overflows back up the watershed.

Planting Water supports greater biodiversity and it reduces desertification by mitigating wash outs and increasing soil health. The catchments don’t only catch water, they also store plant material and keep it wet longer providing nurseries for native mycelium. We have seen mycelium in catchments in an area that is otherwise desertfied. 
This method has been stewarded by Dustin Freyta as a continuation of the work of his Indigenous ancestors who have worked with these mountain ecosystems for thousands of years. Dustin has studied ancient catchment sites that trace Indigenous stewardship from the top to the bottom of the watershed where structures are in place specifically to spread water across the landscape.

SWMS at San Luis Valley Seed Exchange