I Have Yet Another Question As I Build My Waterfall/Stream

[drjay9051]

I have a single drop of about 3 feet from my spillway to a large pool at the bottom of the drop. From here the water will flow down the stream into my pond.

I am at a loss as to how I can "rock in' the liner behind the 3 foot drop. If I had constructed say three drops it would be simple to place some larger stones but with a single 3 foot drop do I have any options besides somehow placing flat slate against the liner?

I had considered recessing the waterfall "wall' to allow for larger boulders but am concerned about the stability of the soil even if compacted. Is the solution to fill in the excavated area I have for the pool, move the pool forward away from the waterfall wall and just excavate a new pool . Am I making sense?

if I were to get some 3 foot tall boulders to place at the bottom of the fall and extend up to the spillway they would interfere with the large pool I have excavated. As I have not yet placed the liner I can certainly eliminate the pool but thought it would be a nice aesthetic and aural feature.

Most of the pictures I have looked at seem to have either multiple small drops or what appears to be simply flat stone like slate stacked one upon the other.

I am at a loss on this issue. What am I missing here? Any thoughts?

 

[GBBUDD]

A single three foot drop has its own challanges MAINLY with Splash. A three foot drop can have water splach 6 feet or more from where it lands. Even only a few drops getting out of containment will add up quickly in Water loss...

Thats where the large character stones come in very handy . When these are placed out infront but to a side of the falls can limit the need for containment being needed 6 feet or more in width off to all sides of the falls. As you can imagine this would require a large pool at the bottom of a falls. BUT WITH THE CHARACHTER ROCKS this is reduced drastically. Another way to lesson splash is to have the water fall onto a rock that would be on a 45 degree angle. this creates like a slide for the water to fall onto.
Another issue with tall waterfalls is the wind it can taker a decent stream and turn it into a mist good luck controlling that.

To be honest a flat drop stream/ waterfall in my eyes is kinda boring by comparison. Theres just something about water falling creating white water and bubbles and watch it switch direction to just hit another boulder split off and go in two directions or more and find a little weak spot and water coming out of know where . Everyone has there own preference..
this video is a little of both

 

[drjay9051]

GBBUDD:

Much appreciate your response.

So better idea? Sculpt 3 levels for the fall as opposed to one long drop

Im open to suggestions.

Your pond is beyond beautiful !!

 

[GBBUDD]

There is no right or wrong answer, its a personal choice and taste and knowing what something will create and what your willing to do to have it. My pond demands some time but i love it . i have always tinkered with fish and creating a habitat. To me man can create some spectacular things. But work with nature and your bringing it to an all new level.

My taller waterfall in the back will be reworked /altered just a little it's close to how i'd like it the main falls never will it just has no height to work with. and hobbit falls is constantly changing.

Watch as many youtube videos as you can even if it's a 3000 dollar pond or a million dollar creation. you never know where your eye will find what you want to see in your paradise.

Here's a start for you https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/some-very-impressive-pond-builds.26353/

if you find something you like and want tips how they may have done it post it here.

I will add advanced modern aquascapes has some great how to videos

 

[GBBUDD]

Your pond is beyond beautiful !!

Thank you, it has evolved over the years. scares me what it may be in another 6 years

 

[YShahar]

So better idea? Sculpt 3 levels for the fall as opposed to one long drop

Im open to suggestions.

Photos of your set-up would help a lot! If you have enough liner to carve into the slope, that would give you more space to get creative. The pros usually carve steps for their rock to sit on, so that they can make the stream look natural. If you don't have enough liner coming up from the pond, you can still use a separate piece of liner and make an overlap into the pond.

But you could still get by with laying a couple of large flat stones vertically against the sides of your waterfall "wall", and then putting a couple of stones on top, inside the stream to give the illusion that the flat stone is the vertical wall of a much larger square rock.

Here's an example of what I mean:

All three of the rocks making up the falls are set vertically, with smaller rocks underneath to get them angled just right to catch the splash. After the spillway was set, I put a couple of smaller rocks in the stream just behind it to give the illusion that the spillway was part of a larger rock. Here's what it looked like after completion:

I think that if I had it to do over again, I would definitely carve out steps, rather than make one big drop, but I'm still happy with the look and sound of the falls.

I would definitely avoid the temptation to stack pieces of flat rock one atop the other, as the result looks manmade.

 

[GBBUDD]

Voting @YShahar best diy pond builtd by a Granny in 2023

 

[drjay9051]

Photos of your set-up would help a lot! If you have enough liner to carve into the slope, that would give you more space to get creative. The pros usually carve steps for their rock to sit on, so that they can make the stream look natural. If you don't have enough liner coming up from the pond, you can still use a separate piece of liner and make an overlap into the pond.

But you could still get by with laying a couple of large flat stones vertically against the sides of your waterfall "wall", and then putting a couple of stones on top, inside the stream to give the illusion that the flat stone is the vertical wall of a much larger square rock.

Here's an example of what I mean:
View attachment 162009

All three of the rocks making up the falls are set vertically, with smaller rocks underneath to get them angled just right to catch the splash. After the spillway was set, I put a couple of smaller rocks in the stream just behind it to give the illusion that the spillway was part of a larger rock. Here's what it looked like after completion:

View attachment 162010

I think that if I had it to do over again, I would definitely carve out steps, rather than make one big drop, but I'm still happy with the look and sound of the falls.

I would definitely avoid the temptation to stack pieces of flat rock one atop the other, as the result looks manmade.

Good info.
Thank you.
I have enough liner to rework this.
I never imagined there was this much labor and I have even lifted one stone.

No need to hit the gym with all this labor (of love)