It's All in the Design.

Building a great pond can be an easy and fulfilling experience. If done with the right tools and methods, though it might take a week or so you can build your pond efficiently and at a fraction of the cost of building a swimming pool. Plus you get the added features such as waterfalls, streams, aquatic plants and lilies, and fish.The maintenance can amount to as little as 20 minutes a week once your pond has acquired a friendly ecosystem. You can add a whole new dimension to your pond design by adding a stream or waterfall.Using a tasteful plan this can add a common link to your pond design by giving you a tranquil and relaxing sound of flowing water that will set the mood for your pond.

The most obvious impact you can achieve by adding a stream or waterfall is emphasizing the overall size and feeling of your water feature. Adding a stream to your pond gives you a natural look and plays as an important link to tie everything together.

After deciding what you want to accomplish for your water feature you should set a budget of how much you want to spend and decide on the right materials and rocks that you will need to gather. If you plan your pond in a basic design you can add features as you can afford in the future. Always check your location and conditions where you want to add your feature and remember to keep everything in balance when placing rocks and boulders.

Adding a shallow flowing stream not only gives a subtle flow of water but also provides a natural retreat for birds and wildlife. It also provides a natural source of filtration for your pond and gives a highly oxygenated flow of water

Rock waterfalls can add a nice touch or  a very overwhelming affect for your pond. Some people tend to build waterfalls too big, too tall, or with too much water. When attempting to build a waterfall you need to consider the design and the effects that you want to achieve. Using the proper  types of rock are a major factor in getting that effect. Before you begin consider the following questions. which supports a large number of beneficial bacteria that is vital to the health of your fish.

    1) Is my waterfall going to be in a small enclosed space or a part of a grand design?
    2) Do I want to hear the sound of the water from a certain part of my house?
    3) Do I want a standard, full sized pond for fish or a pondless waterfall?

Before putting in your waterfall you also need to consider the flow of your water. To help you in your design planning follow these simple rules. All waterfalls should have a minimum of 100 gallons per hour over each inch of width of your waterfall. If your fall has a width of 20 inches you should have a flow of 2000 gallons per hour to give it the look and feel you want it to achieve.

Sound is also a major factor in building a great waterfall. You need to consider a combination of three basic factors while designing your water feature.

    1) The Volume of water.
    2) What the water is falling onto.
    3) The distance the water falls.

As the volume increases, say as 200 gallons per hour, the sound will increase. If the volume of water decreases to 50 gallons per hour then the sound will decrease.

What the water falls onto will create different sounds. The most pronounced is the water falling directly into your pond. The next is the shallow pool, and a third is by water flowing onto a rock or boulder and then sliding over rocks or boulders into the pond.

The distance the water falls is a very key factor. A 3 to 4 inch drop can be very subtle but when increased to 18 to 20 inches the sound can increase significantly. Of all the factors in building your waterfall this is the most important. The sound of your waterfall makes a big impact on the affect you want to achieve for a soothing and relaxing back yard retreat.

You can experiment by using a water hose and let it run into a pool or your pond and note the difference as you raise and lower it as the water drops. This can help you decide on how long a drop you want your fall to have.

The size of your pond in square feet of surface area needs to be 1 1/2 times the square footage of your waterfall and stream. If your waterfall and stream is 20 feet long and 3 feet wide, then your pond should be 90 square feet. This will allow the pond to capture all of the water when the pump is turned off without overflowing your pond.

The benefits of building a waterfall for your pond continues to grow. It not only provides you with a peaceful backyard retreat, but it also provides other benefits you may not know about. If you live near a busy street or freeway, having a waterfall significantly reduces traffic noise. Another benefit is that mosquitos cannot breed in moving water. Adding a waterfall or stream can help prevent your pond from becoming the neighborhood breeding ground and will make your evenings by the pond more enjoyable.

So with all these helpful hints and ideas you should be able to design and build a stream and waterfall for your pond and add a whole new dimension to your water feature.
 

Happy Ponding
Linda Jones
       President of Waco Pond Society