Alexandra Ionescu, Bio4Climate’s Associate Director of Regenerative Projects, recently spent a week volunteering alongside the Water Stories team as they built two earthen ponds and connected them to a third.
Water Stories was founded by Zachary Weiss, a protégé of revolutionary Austrian farmer Sepp Holzer.
Witnessing the genesis of a pond, Alexandra began to see its “anatomy” emerge through the team’s shaping of the earth—the key, dam, spillway, slopes, and terraces taking form as they continuously surveyed the site and worked with the geology of place.
Through near-daily rain, Alexandra and the other volunteers supported the work through a range of side activities, including helping drain water from the construction area. Over time, these ponds will help hold water in the landscape, support vegetation and other life, and slowly rehydrate the surrounding land.
Posted: August 29, 2026