How to Stop Your Land from Flooding : Day 10 in Australia

17 Jul 2026 · 1 min

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In this instructional video, the presenter demonstrates how swales can prevent land flooding and erosion after a heavy downpour. He recounts a recent storm that soaked his tent, forcing him to sleep in his car, and shows a swale filled to about three feet deep. He explains that without swales, rainwater would flow rapidly across the land, causing erosion, especially in flood‑prone regions like Appalachia. The core message is that swales are designed not to divert water but to capture it, slowing its movement so it can infiltrate the soil and hydrate the landscape as intended. The video serves as a practical guide for landowners seeking to manage heavy rainfall and protect their terrain.

Chapters

I'm going to show you how to keep your land from getting flooded out. There was a massive downpour last night, like it ended up soaking my tent and I had to sleep in my car, which was fine. This is the first time that I've seen swells completely full like this. Look how full it's about 3 feet deep. I know what some of you are thinking, like, okay, big deal, that's a lot of rain. If this rain fell on this land without swells, all that would be moving at a very fast rate and it could cause problems like erosion. And that's important for a lot of people especially those in Appalachia that are facing a lot of heavy flooding or your land is getting damaged by heavy rainfall. We have to understand what is the purpose of water hitting our land? It's to hydrate the landscape. It's moving too fast. It's not doing that. As you noticed, the water wasn't moving. It's not to divert water. It's to catch it and give it time to sink into the ground, hydrating your land the way it was intended to.