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Now that we have a small tractor, I have a project in mind. Wondered if anyone else had done anything similar.
I have 400-500 large rocks that the previous home owner made a large flower garden with. I'd like to take these rocks (some weigh approx 200 lbs) and build some kind of a waterfall at the end of the pond. Maybe put in some kind of pump to pull water from the pond and send down as the waterfall. Don't want anything 'overwhelming' or elaborate, but I do love the sound of the water!! Thought that it might even help with the oxygen. If you guys could help me with some ideas/suggestions to get me started I'd appreciate it!
This forum and the magazine are really swell!!! Maybe someday I will have learned enough that I can help someone else, instead of always picking all of your brains!!!!!

PG,

Sounds like a great addition to your pond and a great way to use the available rocks. One of the pros mentioned in another thread a couple weeks ago about using a product to seal between the rocks or the water will flow thru them and wash out the ground underneath. I don't recall which thread it was in or the product name but hopefully one of the other pondmeisters will recall it.

You could really have a outstanding waterfall with 400-500 rocks.

Good luck with your project.

Dan

Hey Pond Girl,

The product Dan spoke of is a black waterfall foam. It is like the "Great Stuff" that you can purchase at Home Depot but it is black instead of yellow and it is fish safe.

If you build the waterfall you will need to build the shape of the falls and line it with an EPDM liner. "Do not use PVC" it will shrink a percentage each year.

Rule of thumb for the pump needed will be 1500 GPH per foot width of the waterfall. This flow will give you a good display and not a trickle of water. The foam I spoke of above is used to make sure the water does not leave on the sides of the waterfall and does not go under the rocks. You want to see the water on top not below the rocks. Let me know if you have any further questions. Have fun.

Do you have any close up photos of this product at work, Cary?

Pond Girl,
If you decide to proceed with this project, I (and likely many others) would like to see your progress well documented. I think your plans are going to yield a beautiful feature and will be done on a fairly large scale. This being the case, it would make a great study on waterfall features in ponds.
If/when you kick it into gear, please start a separate thread, take many pics, and keep us up to speed with all the progress. Maybe pop it into one of the pond construction forum categories...?
thx

Bruce...of what the foam or the actual waterfall?

I was hoping to see a closeup showing how the foam is placed, in order to keep the water up where it belongs.

The foam is nothing more than spray foam in a can. Squirt it in the cracks and it swells and fills in the gaps between the rocks. The secret to a good successful waterfall is getting the rocks that you intend the water to cascade down level from side to side and sloped slightly downhill almost level front to back. The best way is trail and error. Simply play with the design and use a garden hose to test the water fall before installing the pump, pluming etc... I have built two on my pond pretty easy project except placing the large stones can be a choir. Good luck with your project.