Program Overview

Permaculture Water Management Course

The Permaculture Water Management Course is an advanced program that teaches the principles of water harvesting for creating functional site designs for water retention and greywater reuse landscapes.

About the Permaculture Water Management Course

This course focuses on the considerations for creating a Permaculture water retention and reuse landscape in specific climates. Through videos, articles, and exercises, students will understand the diverse applications of Permaculture water management and opportunities to integrate them into home-scale and broad-acre landscapes.

Permaculture Water Management Self-Paced Course Description

This program teaches assessment, mapping, and site designs for installing water retention landscapes using integrated water management strategies. It introduces assessment and analysis of rainwater runoff patterns and calculation of runoff quantities and water usage amounts. The course also covers rainwater harvesting cisterns, water harvesting earthworks, and their integration with greywater treatment, passive solar design, and planning for vegetation.

What You'll Learn

After completing this self-paced course, students will be able to:

• Define key rainwater harvesting concepts, terms, and principles.
• Understand the process of assessing and analyzing a site for rainwater harvesting.
• Consider passive and active options for storing rainwater and recycling water in the landscape, including earthworks, cisterns, and greywater systems.
• Reflect on key considerations for hydrating landscapes in climates throughout the world.

Learning Formats

The course features the following learning formats:

• Video lectures
• Multimedia resources
• Readings
• Exercises

Required Textbooks for the Course

The course requires the following accompanying textbooks:

• Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Vol 1, 3rd ed.
• Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Vol 2, 2nd ed. by Brad Lancaster
• Regrarians Handbook Chapters 2. Geography and 3. Water by Darren J. Doherty, Georgi Pavlov, and Andrew Jeeves

Choosing a Design Site

The course focuses on completing a permaculture design for an actual site chosen by the student. Guidelines for choosing the design site are provided.

Technology Requirements

The course is fully online and requires basic computer literacy. Students should review the required hardware and software to ensure the course is feasible for them. The course uses free online programs, including:

• Google Slides
• Google Docs
• Google Sheets
• Google Earth Pro for Desktop

Scholarship Information

A limited number of scholarships are available, with preference given to students from countries with economies that make it difficult to pay US prices, as well as those from disadvantaged communities. Scholarship applicants must have completed the Introduction to Permaculture Course or the OSU PDC PRO course and upload their completed workbook or design report.

Course Details

• The self-paced course takes approximately 70-100 hours to complete.
• Students can take as long as they want and revisit the course material at any time.
• The course costs $295.