In 2023, the Master Gardeners of Roane County interns took on an ambitious project at Roane County Park: building a dry riverbed that ends in a Zuni Bowl. Public works had previously graded this part of the park, which left the area damp and boggy. To manage that excess water, we trenched out a dry riverbed and installed a Zuni Bowl at its base, redirecting the runoff into the nearby Clinch River where it naturally belongs. What looked like a daunting project at first became manageable with everyone pitching in, and together we made quick progress. For those unfamiliar, a Zuni Bowl is a rock-lined, step-pool structure built at the head of a gully. Its purpose is to slow and spread flowing water, reducing erosion while trapping sediment so it can settle.
A Zuni Bowl is defined as a rock-lined, man-made step-pool structure built at the head of a gully to prevent erosion by dissipating the energy of falling water and allowing sediment to settle and become trapped.
This article and accompanying video were created by Steacy Lucchesi, guest contributor.
All of the MGRC interns who participated in this project (in alphabetical order) are: Arun Deean, Donna Deean, Joanna Huffman, Dean LeBlanc, Steacy Lucchesi, Maura Maloney, Melissa McKenzie, Carmen Ross, Todd Sherline, Jen Stark, Nancy Stelzer, and Erica Williams (who was project leader).