NEXT LEVEL POND DESIGN
Tabasa Farms in Carlton, Oregon demonstrates a multi-pond, cascading water retention system built on permaculture principles to rehydrate a degraded grazing landscape. By intercepting and storing surface runoff across two adjacent valleys, the system recharges the aquifer, boosts spring output, increases pasture productivity, and creates rich wildlife habitat — though it required retroactive permitting after being built without prior approval. ---
Key Concepts
| Concept | Definition |
|---|---|
| Cascading pond system | Series of ponds built down a valley that sequentially capture, filter, and store water before it can run off the landscape |
| Water battery | Unlined ponds that intentionally seep water downward to recharge the water table rather than hold it permanently on the surface |
| Rock-armored spillway / biofilter | Gravel and rock structures between ponds where microorganisms filter and clean water as it moves between basins |
| Swale road / off-camber road | A road engineered at a precise 1-in-100 gradient to act as a water conveyance channel, redirecting overflow from one watershed into another — doubling catchment area |
| Monk device | An adjustable outlet structure on a pond that allows the operator to regulate water level |
| Aquaculture pond | A shallow pond dense with native aquatic plants designed to support biodiversity (frogs, dragonflies, waterfowl, herons) |
| Bottom-up water philosophy | Permaculture principle of putting water back into the ground first so it recharges springs and seeps upward, rather than storing it on the surface for top-down irrigation |
| Watershed doubling | Using a contour road around a ridge to capture overflow from a neighboring valley's basin and redirect it into the primary storage system |
Notes
The Site and Its History
- Location: Carlton, Oregon — Shangri-La valley on Tabasa Farms, managed by Brenda Smalfod
- Previously a heavily overgrazed stock farm with serious surface runoff and no accessible groundwater
- Two neighboring properties had good wells; this land had none during dry periods
- System installed approximately 3 years before filming; Zach Weiss of Water Story designed and built it over 6 years across multiple properties
How the System Works
- Roadways intercept surface runoff and channel it into the ponds
- Multiple ponds cascade down the valley, each connected by rock-armored spillways
- Ponds are unlined — water seeps through the ground, recharging the aquifer
- Water at the bottom pond is recirculated (pumped back to the top)
- Woods Pond is spring-fed and acts as the primary supply for the rest of the Shangri-La system via a terrace-and-ditch network
The Swale Road — Key Engineering Feature
- A road was built along the ridge separating two adjacent valleys
- Engineered to a 1-in-100 drop (only 1 inch of margin to make gravity flow work)
- When the forest pond in the neighboring basin overflows, water travels along this road around the ridge and deposits into the Shangri-La system
- Effect: nearly doubles the total catchment area and keeps water at its highest possible elevation before storage
Ecological and Hydrological Outcomes
- Landscape stays visibly greener compared to surrounding dry areas
- Spring output increased from ~3 gallons/minute to 10–15 gallons/minute at peak season
- Water seeps through the ground, is filtered, and returns to the creek — benefiting downstream neighbors
- Addresses the misconception that pond-building steals water from downstream; in practice it provides *more* water downstream over time
Agricultural and Financial Benefits
- Pasture stays green longer, enabling more cattle rotations per season
- Cattle fertilize the land more effectively across longer grazing windows
- Tangible income increase for the farm from greater livestock productivity
- Some investments have >100-year return horizon — made viable by a long-term ownership mindset combined with shorter-payback enterprise elements
Regulatory Challenge
- Work was done without permits; a neighbor reported the activity to Oregon's Department of State Lands
- Significant time and resources spent retroactively permitting the structures
- Regulators were reportedly impressed but constrained by existing legal frameworks
- System is now fully legally permitted
- Broader point: laws designed to protect wetlands are being misapplied to people *restoring* wetlands; permitting pathways need to be easier for restorative land work
Actionable Takeaways
- Map your watershed before designing — identify ridges, valleys, and existing road placements that could double as water conveyance channels
- Use rock-armored spillways between ponds to create passive biofilters at no extra cost
- Leave ponds unlined where possible to prioritize aquifer recharge over surface storage
- Consult local regulations *before* breaking ground — retroactive permitting is costly and time-consuming
- Pair water retention investment with income-generating enterprise (livestock rotations, agritourism, farm-to-table) to make long-payback infrastructure financially viable
- Use a monk device to actively manage pond water levels rather than relying solely on passive overflow
Quotes Worth Keeping
It's basically like putting money in the bank — putting water back into the bank.
Conventional agriculture has always been putting their water resources on top of the ground. Permaculture really flips that around — we like to do it from the bottom up.
These features don't steal water from downstream. They actually provide more water to downstream over time.
We need to make it really easy for people who want to create wetlands instead of putting a wall of red tape around working in these areas.
You find yourself on the opposite side of the table with people who have the exact same intent as you.
Some of the things we've done at the ground are longer than a 100-year return on invested capital. You do that if you know that what you're building is in part larger than yourself.