Marshy Area Between Ridges

Marshy area between ridges crossword clue. The Big One crossword question in Daily Telegraph Sydney and Herald Sun newspaper on Thursday, 22 Juni 2017. 5 letters.

Answer: SWALE

A swale is a low tract of land, especially one that is moist or marshy. The term can refer to a natural landscape feature or a human-created one. Artificial swales are often infiltration basins designed to manage water runoff, filter pollutants, and increase rainwater infiltration.

The swale concept has also been popularized as a rainwater harvesting and soil conservation strategy by Bill Mollison, Geoff Lawton and other advocates of permaculture. In this context it usually refers to a water-harvesting ditch on contour. Another term used is contour bund.