Introduction

[dahavishnu]

I finally bit the bullet and am building a waterfall and pond in my back yard. It will be about 8' x 16',
without the waterfall.
I have been watching videos on youtube and have a couple friends who have recently put ponds
in their yards. I joined this forum to get more ideas and information for my new pond and to keep up
with what others are doing. I am planning on adding fish after completion sometime in spring or
early summer. I had to take out an old orange tree (dying anyway) and re route my sprinklers.
My immediate concern is my waterfall. I have to start from level ground and build it up with the dirt
removed from the hole. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can build up the dirt to about 3 feet
or so so that it will not erode over time.
One thought I had was to stack milk crates on top of each other (bolt them together) and put sandbags
on the bottom to hold them down, then cover with dirt. The waterfall reservoir will sit on top of them with
dirt and rock surrounding it. Meanwhile I am thinking of using a combination of sandbags and rocks
around the base of the (mound of dirt) to minimize erosion. I have not seen any info on building up the
dirt like this, so I am making stuff up as I go.
Does anyone out there have any ideas or suggestions for a proper way to to this, or am I on the right track?
I am also new to any type of forum so I hope this is not too long...

 

[sissy]

well welcome and I hope we can give you some great ideas .The sand bags will rot and break down after awhile .It should not hurt anything unless you get a really large rainfall and the sand may have a chance to run into the pond .But not really sure that will happen or not depends on how close they are .

 

[DrCase]

Welcome to the Forum !!
I could see stair stepping the milk crates around a 55 gal drum or stock tank that you can use for a filter.
I would put a liner over all of the crates directing all the water into the pond, then stack the rocks on top

 

[taherrmann4]

Welcome to the pond forum....

 

[koiguy1969]

I BUILT MY WATERFALL WITH THE DIRT FROM THE POND DIG....

 

[taherrmann4]

As Koiguy stated use the dirt from the pond hole and pile it up and shape however you want it. It won't erode if you put rocks, and plants around it then mulch over it. there will be some settling but not much erosion. I took all the dirt from the hole I dug and pilled it up on top of the small hill I already had and have had no errosion issues once you get plants and mulch on it as well as some well placed rocks.

 

[j.w]

My first pond I just used tons of rocks and built a big mound w/ a bowl formed in the center where the hose from the pump poured in. I used liner to cover the front of it and into the bowl and then put more rocks around over the liner to hide it. That worked fine til I decided to build a new bigger pond. For my new falls my hubby built me a stainless steel water filter barrel and I put liner over the front into the inside and then surrounded the outside w/ rocks. Hose goes through bottom side of barrel and water fills up and runs over for the falls. You could do the same w/ a plastic barrel filter.

 

[kraljcojo]

I will put my pictures of garden and pond afternoon I'am at work right now that you can see,and when you see it,I will ask you some questions about your experince with ponds

 

[Waterbug]

Depends on soil, how much rain you get, what you're going to plant, and how long you want the waterfall to last. Generally just soil will result in issues. The risk is reduced the wider the mound which reduces the slope. I like perfectly leveled terraces which will last for decades and I never have to worry about. I like something dogs and kids can climb on, and I can garden on without having to worry about damage.

I don't know your soil or local conditions but I would not expect milk crates to slow down erosion at all. The openings are way too big. You could line the inside with landscape fabric. Pretty good chance of the crates breaking over time, they just aren't build for that type of load. And if exposed to sun they would breakdown in just a couple of years.

The plastic mesh sand bags break down in the sun in just a couple of years and the millions of tiny bits of plastic make a big mess. You can use burlap bags filled with concrete. The fabric will break down but that's fine. The concrete left behind is not completely unattractive, but not very natural either imo.

Crates and bags are ugly imo. If you're planning on covering with dirt there's a Catch-22. If the covering dirt stays in place then the crates/bags weren't needed in the first place. But of course the covering dirt does wash away and expose the foundation.

I've had some luck with just stacked rock especially when backed by landscape fabric. However the gaps between rocks at the very top can be a source of erosion which I find to be a pain to have to continuously deal with.

I build terraces two ways, or a combination. Big hollow fake rocks, chicken wire or mesh covered with mortar. Or concrete block, bond beam type. I then make fake rock to cover the block face. You can vary the depth of each terrace so it doesn't look uniform. Plants can cover the entire structure if you like.

So it really comes down to what you want. You're right to be concerned with settling and erosion. Waterfalls are the #1 source of leaks, many of which occur after a could of years.

 

[Becky]

Hello and welcome to the forums! :wave:

 

[j.w]

Oops forgot to welcome you dahavishnu

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group!

In phoenix I used dirt to make mounds, hills etc around our yard from our pond dig (it was a acre, all flat grass covered). Covered them with rocks, crushed granite etc, the mounds have never eroded, but phoenix is pretty dry, we do get some horrendous rain falls. The mounds were 2-4 feet high.

Here in Maryland, the downhill side of my bog is a berm, made out of dirt, 5 foot high, compacted by the tractor. I put rocks over it, shale type rocks, planted plants, ornamental grasses no erosion happening. And we get rain/snow/freeze/thaw here.

 

[kraljcojo]

Thanks everyone ,but I want to ask you something,first my pond is 700liters and it is 50 cm deep made of stone around also bottem is made of stone,what is the best to put on bottem of pond sand or something else,second question is what fish do you think that I can put in there if it is deep 50cm,winter is not very cold here but also I made cover of wood in the case of cold weather.I can by heaters.

 

[sissy]

are you talking about sand in the pond or sand under the liner .If you are talking under the liner any sand will do as long as it is sand with no stones in it .

 

[j.w]

Kral if you have a concrete pond and no leak problems and don't plan on putting a rubber liner over the concrete I would just leave it w/ nothing on the bottom so easier to clean w/ a net getting leaves and build up gunk out. If you put sand or rocks on the bottom it will be much harder to maintain but some do and it works for them. But I think they will say it is some what of a job. Some have rocks on all the sides inside the pond all the way down but leave the bottom clear of them. They use a hose to release some gunk that may build up on those rocks on the sides so it flows to the bottom where it is easier to scoop out. Myself I leave the bottom and the sides free of rocks and only put them on the top ledge around the pond edge. I do have a short ledge of a few inches down in the pond where I put rocks around there as it hides the liner and then I put more rocks on top of them around the pond edge as I stated.