Develop the skills to assess, design, and implement resilient water systems for any landscape, using a proven permaculture approach.
You’ve seen it firsthand: water pooling where it shouldn’t, drought stress in the dry season, erosion carving away at your land, or worse, projects stalling because water was never properly accounted for. Most land design ignores water until it becomes a crisis. By then, it’s costly, chaotic, and difficult to repair.
Maybe you inherited a site. Or maybe you inherited thinking that treats water as an afterthought. You’ve been told to install a rain barrel or dig a swale, but no one ever taught you how to read a landscape from the perspective of water. Consultants are too expensive. The internet is contradictory. You’ve tried piecing together videos, articles, and diagrams, but deep down you know you need the full picture. Not just theory, but real design tools and the clarity to act on them. Without a grounded water strategy, your project stays vulnerable, inefficient, or stuck in guesswork.
This course gives you more than just content. Over 20 weeks, you will receive personalized consultation and feedback from an experienced instructor who will help you shape your site design with confidence and clarity.
This course is a serious commitment and may not be a fit for those already stretched thin.
Students average 15 hours per week, combining content review and assignment work.
Over the full course, that totals approximately 300 hours of focused engagement.
The Permaculture Water Management Course is for people who want to take control of water on their land before it becomes a problem, or manage the problem they already have! Whether you manage a homestead, farm, or client site, this course gives you the skills to assess, design, and implement resilient water systems that make the most of every drop.
Created for graduates of the OSU PDC PRO and anyone with experience who is serious about permaculture-based land design, the course bridges the gap between knowing that water matters and knowing what to do about it. Through guided assignments, peer feedback, and real-world examples, you will learn how to manage water as a resource, not a liability.
When water is managed well, everything else becomes easier.
“This is the third course I’ve taken through OSU. I know I can depend on a high level of material for the courses I take, and I also know that I need extra time to complete an OSU course. I waited four years for the Water Management Course, and it was beyond my expectations. Thank you!
I’ve worked with Neil on two courses and know I can trust him with my work and questions. He tirelessly creates an organized course with an abundance of resources and challenges.
I have recommended dozens of people to OSU for permaculture courses including this one and will continue to do so.” Annette Argabright – Lake Dallas, Texas, USA - Permaculture Design Professional
Water is one of the most powerful forces shaping every landscape. Managing it well is what separates a site that struggles from one that thrives. This Permaculture Water Management course gives you the tools to assess, design, and implement integrated water systems tailored to your site or your client’s.
You’ll learn how to map water sources and sinks, design passive and active rainwater harvesting strategies, and plan supply systems like irrigation, stock water, and greywater reuse. Whether you’re aiming to slow, spread, and sink water into the soil or move it intentionally across a site, this course teaches you how to work with water in a way that supports ecological and human needs alike.
Designed as a follow-up to the OSU PDC PRO, this course helps you deepen your capacity to design real-world water systems. The assignments are practical, site-specific, and flexible. Not every site will need every element. You’ll choose the assignments that fit your design context and build systems that match the site’s needs and the client’s goals.
This is not a one-size-fits-all course. It’s a deep dive into applied water design for people who are ready to take their skills to the next level and have the time and resources to apply the course content to your site and complete the assignments.
This course gives you the skills to design resilient water systems grounded in real-world needs. You’ll move from understanding water fundamentals to creating actionable plans tailored to your site or your client’s.
During the course, you’ll:
Whether you’re designing for a homestead, farm, or urban landscape, this course helps you make informed, practical, and regenerative water decisions.
Over 20 weeks, you will move step by step through 10 in-depth modules. Each module combines curated resources with original course content: videos, articles, readings, and demonstrations, along with assignments that apply directly to your site.
You will alternate between two kinds of weeks:
By the end of the course, you will have created a complete permaculture water management plan for your site, practical, detailed, and ready for implementation.
Your enrollment also includes:
This is a rigorous application based course. On average, students spend 15 hours per week reviewing materials and completing assignments. Some participants finish in as little as 5 hours a week, while others devote 40 or more. Your time commitment will depend on your background in permaculture and water management, as well as how thorough you are in studying and applying the material.
The course is structured to balance study and application.
By following this rhythm, you will steadily build a comprehensive, site-specific water management design over the 20 weeks.
“I was drawn to the course due to the potential to implement permaculture water management principles in my career as an environmental consultant. The course was excellent and the instructor provided fantastic feedback to all participants. My recommendation for others thinking about taking the course is to ensure they have the time available to do the work.” Emma Hansma – Westmead, NSW, Australia - Professional Environmental Land Planner
Overview of water management in permaculture, key principles, ethics, and foundational hydrology concepts.
Assignments Include:
Defining project objectives, understanding geographic influences, and creating accurate base maps for site planning.
Assignments Include:
Techniques for evaluating climate, topography, soil, vegetation, and existing water flow patterns.
Assignments Include:
Hands-on methods for assessing water movement, infiltration, erosion risks, and microclimates.
Assignments Include:
Calculating water availability and needs, and designing passive collection systems to match your site and project context
Assignments Include:
Implementing rainwater tanks, cisterns, and greywater recycling systems for efficient water use.
Assignments Include:
Understanding water consumption patterns and forecasting future needs for buildings, plants, and animals.
Assignments Include:
Integrating both passive and active systems into a cohesive water management strategy.
Assignments Include:
Planning potable and non-potable water systems, irrigation techniques, and optimizing efficiency.
Assignments Include:
Focuses on transforming water management designs into actionable plans by integrating phased implementation, budgeting, resource planning, system monitoring, and long-term adaptation for sustainable site management.
Assignments Include:
✔ Core 20-Week Training (structured live and guided learning)
A complete curriculum that takes you from water fundamentals through advanced site-specific design and implementation.
$1,499 Value
✔ 38 Assignments and Exercises – Complete Design Framework
A structured library of 38 assignments that serve as your working project template. These exercises guide you through assessment, analysis, and design so that by the end of the course you have a full permaculture water management plan for your site.
$699 Value
✔ Instructor Feedback – Professional Consulting
Up to 10 hours of direct instructor review and guidance on your project, equal to $100 per hour of professional consulting.
$1,000 Value
✔ 10 Live Office Hours (Q&A and Design Review)
Interactive sessions to ask questions, receive clarity, and refine your design with real-time support.
$999 Value
✔ Water Analysis Spreadsheets
Ready-to-use calculators for water supply and demand, irrigation needs, greywater potential, runoff volumes, and livestock water planning.
$399 Value
✔ Video Lecture Library (136+ hours)
All required and supplemental content available for replay, so you can revisit complex topics and review at your own pace for up to one year.
$499 Value
✔ Reading Library and Multimedia Resources
Curated readings and supporting materials that deepen your understanding and complement your project work.
$199 Value
✔ Community and Peer Feedback
Engage with fellow students, share insights, and receive feedback from a network of peers working on real-world sites.
$299 Value
$5,594 with one year of access
Your investment: $1,290 + $70 registration fee
“I was drawn to the Oregon State University Permaculture Water Management through Andrew Millison’s amazing work in this field. Neil Bertrando was my instructor and I found him super knowledgeable and supportive. I actually recommend this course for anyone with a house or land as managing water is a priority. In addition to every context being covered within the course (urban and rural) you will also get great value being able to get world class feedback specific to your chosen site.” Simon Kaiwai – Mizque, Cochabamba, Bolivia - Farmer/Homesteader
This course is designed for anyone ready to take their water system design skills to a deeper and more practical level. Whether you’re working on your own site or supporting others, this course helps you build a clear, actionable approach to ecological water management.
Permaculture Designers and PDC Graduates
If you’ve completed a Permaculture Design Certificate and are ready for the next step, this course gives you practical tools to move from broad principles to detailed design. It helps you develop confidence with rainwater harvesting, water budgeting, greywater reuse, and system implementation. Graduates of the OSU PDC PRO will find the course particularly aligned with their previous experience and well-suited for continued development.
Farmers, Homesteaders, and Landowners
If you are developing a regenerative site and want to optimize water use, increase drought resilience, or manage seasonal extremes, this course will help you assess your land, choose appropriate water systems, and plan for phased implementation. It provides a step-by-step approach to aligning your goals with your site’s unique opportunities and constraints.
Landscape Designers, Consultants, and Land Professionals
For those working with clients, this course provides a repeatable process for water analysis and design. You’ll strengthen your ability to diagnose site challenges, propose ecological water solutions, and communicate your designs clearly through professional mapping and documentation.
Urban and Rural Planners, Developers, and Infrastructure Designers
If your work involves managing land use at scale, this course offers insight into decentralized, site-responsive water systems. Learn to integrate water harvesting, infiltration, and distribution into the fabric of neighborhoods, farms, and public spaces.
Serious Students of Permaculture and Ecological Design
Even if you’re not yet working professionally, this course is ideal for people committed to understanding how water systems work, how to design them, and how to support healthier landscapes and communities.
This course meets learners where they are, while challenging them to grow. If you’re motivated to engage deeply, build real-world skills, and develop water systems that serve both people and ecosystems, you’re in the right place.
This is an advanced course designed for students who have already completed a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC). While anyone can register, we strongly recommend having prior training in permaculture to be successful in this course.
This course guides you through a deep analysis of your site, focusing on identifying water sources and sinks, calculating supply and demand, and mapping water flow and potential storage volumes for effective on-site use.
Graduates of the OSU PDC PRO will find the course structure familiar and the assignments aligned with their previous experience. The Water Management course uses the same digital template system and expands on skills developed in that program. You will work with tools like Google Earth Pro, Google Sheets, and Google Slides for mapping, analysis, and design documentation.
If you completed a PDC elsewhere or have equivalent experience, the course is open to you. Just be prepared for a high level of involvement and a steady workload. The material builds on core permaculture concepts and asks students to engage in detailed site analysis and design work.
Some foundational topics from previous coursework, such as zones, sectors, and microclimates, will be revisited and expanded. This is done on purpose to help refine your understanding, track changes over time, and strengthen your design decisions.
This course is ideal for landowners developing their own sites, designers working with clients, and practitioners who want a clear, practical framework for assessing, designing, and implementing resilient water systems.
Expect to dedicate approximately 15 hours per week to the course, combining time spent reviewing content and working on assignments. Over the duration of the course, this adds up to roughly 300 hours of total engagement.
“I had a great experience with my instructor. The feedback provided was always relevant and answered quickly. He consistently offered further explanations, recommendations, and resources that helped me refine my design. I particularly enjoyed being able to have direct conversations during the Zoom sessions.
The course included a lot of relevant real-life examples, well-designed assignments, and outstanding instructor feedback. It was an in-depth and rewarding experience that gave me a much better understanding of integrated water management and design.”
Stéphanie Paradis-Léger – Grand Falls, New Brunswick, Canada - Environmental Consultant
This course requires the following accompanying textbooks:
This course focuses on completing a permaculture design for an actual site that you will choose. Please review this document that provides guidelines for choosing your design site. It is important to spend some time considering before the start of the course.
This is a fully online course and requires a certain level of basic computer literacy to be successful. Please review this Required Hardware and Software page to make sure the course is feasible for you.
As part of the course, we use free online programs for site analysis to create design reports. We provide instructions within the course, but familiarity with these programs prior to the course will enhance your experience and prepare you for the work:
We offer a certificate of completion for this course which can be earned by completing all the required assignments plus your selected assignments and achieving a B (80%) within the course overall.
A very limited number of scholarships are available. Preference is given to students who live in countries where the economy makes it very difficult to pay US prices, as well as those from disadvantaged communities. Applications are due five weeks before the start of the next course. You will receive notification at least three weeks before the start of the next course.
Scholarship applicants must have completed the Free Introduction to Permaculture Course or the OSU PDC PRO and are required to upload their completed workbook or OSU PDC PRO Design Report.
Water systems are often the difference between a design that works and one that falls short. This course is for those who are ready to move from knowing that water matters to knowing what to do about it. Whether you are designing for your own land or working with clients, this course gives you the structure, tools, and support to design and implement resilient water systems with clarity and confidence.
If you are ready to deepen your skills, engage with meaningful design work, and create systems that serve both people and place, this course is for you.
This course is a serious commitment and may not be a fit for those already stretched thin.
You can expect to dedicate around 15 hours per week, combining content review and assignment work.
Over the full course, that totals approximately 300 hours of focused engagement - more than any other comparable course.
Start building your water literacy, your design capacity, and your implementation plan with intention and focus.
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Andrew Millison has been studying, designing, building, and teaching about Permaculture systems since 1996 and is an instructor in the Department of Horticulture at Oregon State University. He instructs Advanced Permaculture Courses in Teaching, and has guest instructed for many Permaculture courses throughout the Western US.
Neil has a passion for enriching bioregions and cultivating ecologies. He holds degrees in Biology and Environmental Science. He is the owner of RT Permaculture, an ecological design and education firm specializing in effective and regenerative landscapes. He has been part of the OSU Permaculture Teaching Team since 2014 and has over a decade of experience in ecological design and watershed restoration, Neil brings a range of skills to his projects including horticulture, irrigation, water harvesting, erosion control, and small scale farm development. Neil’s projects commonly include integrated water harvesting agroforestry systems, homestead production gardens with season extension, medicinal pollinator habitats, and ecological restoration.
