Waterfall over existing block wall

[Andrew Williams]

Hello everyone. This forum was a wealth of information when I was setting up my first pond in the Catskill mountains. Back then we excavated a 25x60 EPDM-lined pond and used the principles of natural swimming pools to keep it balanced. It worked quite well for five years even without pumps or filtration.

Some time later we've moved on and purchased a home with an abandoned concrete kidney-shaped pool. We spent a couple of years converting it to a natural pool through careful planting, water courses, biological filtration (thanks, Skippy!). It couldn't be more beautiful.

We had a natural area for a shallow water course that would flow from the bio-filters back into the pond. The last leg was a spillway over an existing concrete block retaining wall and back into the pond. Not knowing any other option I built the spillway with pressure-treated wood and lined it with EPDM. It works fine but I'm getting a bit tired of the handmade look it has.

I'm looking at reworking it this year. I want to spill over the concrete block wall in a stone or block waterfall. The look of this is all very modern, not naturalistic. My questions to the forum are these:

• What are some suggested techniques for building a nearly vertical 4' waterfall with block or pavers?
• I'm assuming it's not safe to run the water over the retaining wall without waterproofing. Could I glue a liner directly to the block wall and hide it with a layer of pavers?
• How to calm the splash as water hits the bottom?

Attached are some before/after pictures of our initial conversion and the spillway we want to replace. I look forward to the discussion!

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Hello everyone. This forum was a wealth of information when I was setting up my first pond in the Catskill mountains. Back then we excavated a 25x60 EPDM-lined pond and used the principles of natural swimming pools to keep it balanced. It worked quite well for five years even without pumps or filtration.

Some time later we've moved on and purchased a home with an abandoned concrete kidney-shaped pool. We spent a couple of years converting it to a natural pool through careful planting, water courses, biological filtration (thanks, Skippy!). It couldn't be more beautiful.

We had a natural area for a shallow water course that would flow from the bio-filters back into the pond. The last leg was a spillway over an existing concrete block retaining wall and back into the pond. Not knowing any other option I built the spillway with pressure-treated wood and lined it with EPDM. It works fine but I'm getting a bit tired of the handmade look it has.

I'm looking at reworking it this year. I want to spill over the concrete block wall in a stone or block waterfall. The look of this is all very modern, not naturalistic. My questions to the forum are these:

• What are some suggested techniques for building a nearly vertical 4' waterfall with block or pavers?
• I'm assuming it's not safe to run the water over the retaining wall without waterproofing. Could I glue a liner directly to the block wall and hide it with a layer of pavers?
• How to calm the splash as water hits the bottom?

Attached are some before/after pictures of our initial conversion and the spillway we want to replace. I look forward to the discussion!

View attachment 78719 View attachment 78720 View attachment 78728 View attachment 78722

Why not use a manufactured copper or stainless waterfall weir?

Splash can be moderated by the inclusion of a plunge pool at the base of the waterfall.

 

[Andrew Williams]

Why not use a manufactured copper or stainless waterfall weir?

Splash can be moderated by the inclusion of a plunge pool at the base of the waterfall.

So, the liner from the water course would be glued to that, and it would throw the water away from the block wall into a catch basin?

 

[slick]

You could use a perspex sheet bolted to the wall ,
where the water hits the pond level water with a heat gun put a sligt outward facing curle this would ease the water making a slight current,
you would have to seal the block work as with water running over the cement will cause water quality problems

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Yes, or you could use something like this.

and eliminate the use of any liner.
http://www.stoneycreekequip.com/form/ecodiffuser.htm

 

[slick]

I don't know what you use in the states but over here in England our brick laying cement is still rich in lime so what ever brick work is being done by the pond it has to be sealed due to the risk of leaching but that device you suggested looks how we say bang on,

 

[slick]

Ps is it or is it not true but I was told that copper in the pond was a no no or it that a load of bull??