GARDENS
11–12 inches of rain per year. Every
drop counts,” says Francis. “Our goal
was to orchestrate the movement of
water to where we needed it most.
We found many great sources of
stormwater, but we needed to convey
most of it to the water-loving aspen
area. That was what triggered the idea
of a stormwater acequia that carries
rainwater to the aspen grove.”
Francis and his team created an
acequia network that provides a
steady and reliable water source for
the property’s aspen trees and the
plants added to the home’s land-
scape. The network pulls water from
the rooftops into a cistern, while the
stormwater acequia pulls water from
the driveway runoff. The water filters
into the rock-lined acequia feeding
the property’s plant systems. The
acequia also serves as a “threshold
between the more formal landscape
near the house and the looser, more
natural landscape beyond.”
SPRING 2019
19