It has begun

[MTguy]

There's no turning back now. Stuff has been bought, holes have been dug, and my wife and daughter are expecting a pond. I think this was something that I just had to start working on and figuring it out as I go (at least to some extent). The plan, is to have an upper pond that is roughly an irregular 8'x10' (3' deep) fed by two small waterfalls beginning underneath my deck (next to the stairs). These falls will be created by raising the ground level/creating a mound under the deck where 2 Aquascape waterfall filters will be set. Water from this pond will then flow over a zero edge to a 20' stream that travels along the east side of my deck with an approximate 30" elevation change. Near the top of this stream I plan to put in a small (18"x4') bog that will flow into the stream as well. The lower pond is an 8'x11' pond that is fed from the stream waterfall as well as a second smaller waterfall that originates under the deck and also uses the Aquascape waterfall filter (or maybe the Tetra version as I haven't bought it yet). At the far end of the lower pond the water will travel over a zero edge to a short stream fed bog before dissappearing to an 8'x 5.5' x 26" storage basin. At the end of the basin are two pump vaults. One pump vault will have an Aquapulse 5200 gpm pump (roughly 3,000gph after calculating head) that pushes water uphill through a 2" flex PVC pipe to a 2" PVC manifold that is hidden under the deck for distribution. The second pump vault will house hopefully a smaller pump that will be used to further push water to different areas so that I can keep it running at all times while reserving the larger pump for part-time use. The second pump is not purchased yet and I'm not exactly sure how I want to setup the distribution. The 5200 is just a bit short of what I think I want for the 3 waterfall filters (I would like 1600 gpm each) but I think I could get by with 1000 gpm each.

Where I'm at now: I've excavated by hand the storage basin area and the first two shelves (9" and 21") of the lower pond. I am currently at 21" for a depth and will probably just add a 12" oval to the middle of the pond for a total depth of 33". I have purchased 2 high-capacity septic leaching chambers and 2 sump pump basins for he storage basin which will be lined with a 45 mil EPDM liner and then filled first with baseball sized cobble and then rock to match the surrounded rock (3/4" I think). The storage basin should hold roughly 300 gallons as designed. I have enough liner to make this a little bit deeper but I would only get another 50 gallons or so max by my calculations and I'm not sure it's worth it (extra digging, using liner there instead of to make a larger visible pond, extra rock, difficulty of accessing the pump vaults if they go lower). My calculations for my total water volume in the ponds and stream (but not in the basin) are at about 3,200 gallons but in actuality will be much less when considering the shelves and water displacement from rock. Water in motion is difficult for me to calculate because the upper pond will have water in motion as well as the stream. A 1" flow over the zero edge is approximately 50 gallons, and my stream calculation is roughly 75 gallons. I also could estimate another 25 gallons for the water in the short waterfall sections. This gives me a 2:1 ratio of storage to water in motion which is not ideal, but should work... I think. If it doesn't I'll turn it into the world's largest intake bay for a small pond. I also have a gutter nearby which I plan to install a rain barrel on with a float valve in the pump vault. This would give me another 50 gallons to help top up the pond as needed.

Going forward: I need to figure out what other locations I want to send water to with the second pump. One location is the small stream bog. I think I would like to add another water source (which could just be a "jet") that makes it appear as if water is emerging from under the short walkway between my upper elevated deck and my lower platform deck. This seems like a wasted opportunity to just put it in as a jet without filtration so I've got a few considerations. If I could find a pressure filter with UV that I thought I could trust I wouldn't mind implementing that into my filtration plan. Another option I have, is that I've got a couple of galvanized metal planters (see pictures) in the area that I think I could convert to either small bogs with an overflow or to skippy filters that send their discharge out to the area underneath the walkway. I also have the option of creating a separate large flower pot as a skippy filter set on the edge of the pond. I wanted to do some sort of a natural looking bog somewhere, but with the water origins coming from under the deck it seemed like a bad idea. The bog would be in full shade all the time without a lot of vertical clearance for the plants. I'd love to hear suggestions on this. My long term goal is to have a low flow set of filtration that runs 24/7 using the bogs and yet to be determined filtration sources at a 3000 gallon pond level with a pond turnover of once every 1 1/2 to 2 hours. This would be supplemented with the 3x waterfall filters which also are rated at 1000 gallons of treatment each (and operating at least 1 turnover/hr). The waterfall filters could run part time on a schedule and on demand when I'm outside. Overall, my plan seems to have good mechanical filtration but the biological filtration is lacking. My planned fish load is minimal. Maybe a dozen common goldfish. I do have plant shelves and want to put in some sort of vertical plants like a horsetail rush in a few background locations, a hardy water lily or two, and some shorter marginals. Just as an FYI, I'm in zone 4 and the pond will be mostly full sun. The surrounding area is flat prairie so I'm going for a natural meandering stream with smaller waterfalls than the volcano look.

I'll attach some pictures to help with clarification but please feel free to chime in with some recommendations or advice.

 

[Tula]

Very exciting ! It'll be fun to follow along on your build

 

[Ax01]

is this your 1st project? i'm very impressed by the design and prep. i'm a n00b and can't give much feedback but i like the idea of adding an addiitonal filter at the pond edge using a metal planter or flower pot. i would lean towards a flower pot tho as it blends in better but still distinguishable as something different, not natural but still nice.

 

[Andrew]

That sounds incredibly ambitious! It's going to look pretty awesome below the deck there.

I didn't do nearly as much planning with either of my past ponds, I just started digging!

 

[MTguy]

is this your 1st project? i'm very impressed by the design and prep. i'm a n00b and can't give much feedback but i like the idea of adding an addiitonal filter at the pond edge using a metal planter or flower pot. i would lean towards a flower pot tho as it blends in better but still distinguishable as something different, not natural but still nice.

This is my first pond, but I figured I knew enough to go at it like I mean business. After all, I know that rubber holds water and water flows downhill. What else is there?

I also like the idea of using the metal planters as a filter(s) or bog. They are hollow on the bottom so I would probably run a pipe up from the bottom as an intake and use cement to create a "floor" to the planter. Follow that up with some non-toxic paint on sealer and I've got a vessel that holds water. The problem I'm having is with a good controlled method of releasing that water. If I could find a way to flatten out a 4"x4" square or so to put a bulkhead in I would be in business. I could also have a piece of metal pipe welded in and used as the spillway that splashes into a small waterway. Another option I considered was placing a long pipe up from the bottom to the top with a grate on it to prevent clogging and then just discharging back out the bottom. It would work, but would sure be a pain to fix.

Here are a couple designs I considered. Both lack a good overflow capability though.

 

[addy1]

That will be great!

My hubby wanted to have a drawing of what our pond would look like. I laid a hose on the ground and said oh it will be about here. That one pond has morphed into 11 ponds and a 85 foot stream. Oh and a big bog to filter all.

 

[j.w]

We will be here watching every move you make, every breath you take, we'll be watching you!

 

[GBBUDD]

his is my first pond, but I figured I knew enough to go at it like I mean business

I like this guy sounds a lot like someone i know . ok maybe a bit nicer .... GOOD FOR YOU .. take no prisoners.. The one thing will caution you on is this it seem that hair algae likes fast flowing shallow waters . i don't have a drop of algae in my ponds but i sure do in the fast flowing stream from time to time

 

[GBBUDD]

also like the idea of using the metal planters as a filter(s) or bog. They are hollow on the bottom so I would probably run a pipe up from the bottom as an intake and use cement to create a "floor" to the planter. Follow that up with some non-toxic paint on sealer and I've got a vessel that holds water. The problem I'm having is with a good controlled method of releasing that water.

why go through all that work when a plastic hpde double walled plastic culvert pipe is already black and fits the bill . Not to mention unfortunately galvanized pipe is toxic to fish

 

[MTguy]

The one thing will caution you on is this it seem that hair algae likes fast flowing shallow waters . i don't have a drop of algae in my ponds but i sure do in the fast flowing stream from time to time

Thanks GBBUDD. That confirms what I was assuming would happen. I don’t know that I have an answer either, unfortunately. As to the galvanized culvert, it would have been purely aesthetics as corrugated metal is the “theme” of the area. I have an outdoor kitchen built with galvanized metal sheeting and there are already 7 (I think galvanized metal planters in place which I was considering repurposing. I didn’t know that galvanized metal was toxic to fish though, so that may be out. The paint on liner is safe for human potable consumption so that may work, but I’m not sure it’s worth it. I have lots of options to choose from for that area.

Also, thanks for cataloging your build so well. I picked up a lot of inspiration from it.

 

[CometKeith]

This is my first pond, but I figured I knew enough to go at it like I mean business. After all, I know that rubber holds water and water flows downhill. What else is there?

I also like the idea of using the metal planters as a filter(s) or bog. They are hollow on the bottom so I would probably run a pipe up from the bottom as an intake and use cement to create a "floor" to the planter. Follow that up with some non-toxic paint on sealer and I've got a vessel that holds water. The problem I'm having is with a good controlled method of releasing that water. If I could find a way to flatten out a 4"x4" square or so to put a bulkhead in I would be in business. I could also have a piece of metal pipe welded in and used as the spillway that splashes into a small waterway. Another option I considered was placing a long pipe up from the bottom to the top with a grate on it to prevent clogging and then just discharging back out the bottom. It would work, but would sure be a pain to fix.

Here are a couple designs I considered. Both lack a good overflow capability though.

Hi and welcome to our little group of garden pond fanatics ie GPF. Your plan sounds extremely nice and well thought out. You may want to have some flexibility as you build it and see what works and what doesn’t work as expected. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[MTguy]

Well.... I'm back. Grad school, a 2 year old, Covid, a North Dakota winter, and work all got in the way of working on the project. I'm back at it in my spare time and am having the expected one step forward, two step back moments. I had completed excavation (or so I thought) and laid in the fabric and liner in the lower pond and overflow area last fall. I had also placed in my pump vaults, leaching chambers, and some rock to hold the liner in place. With spring in the air and most nights staying above freezing I got to work last weekend. I filled up the drainage area with 1 to 2 inch rock that sits on top of some 6-8 inch rock. I also repurposed some 6 inch drainage pipe I had sitting next to my house for a couple years as a space filler in the "pit of misery" as I'll be calling it from now on. The Mrs. was on my case about getting rid of that pipe, so it was win-win. I don't know why she had to keep nagging me about it. I told her I'd take care of it, but she was constantly reminding me every 6 months like I'm a child .

There were a few inches of water in the bottom from the winter snow when I filled it the rest of the way, so I was feeling pretty good when I filled up that area to wash the rocks. From there I moved to the upper pond area. Last fall I had decided to call an audible and make the upper pond area a big upflow bog with a waterfall into it. That area was mostly excavated last fall but I did have to do a little bit of work adding depth to the bog area and a little bit of width/length as well to provide more room for the settling tank. I got that done with the help of my father-in-law and laid the fabric and liner in the upper pond area. That was pretty uneventful as well. Then.... the rails fell off!

When we were putting the settling chamber back in the hole we didn't quite have it lined up to go in smoothly. My father in law decided to step on his side to force it into position and I got two tears in the liner. I didn't bury him in the hole that was already dug, in case you are wondering. I had stuff on hand to patch the liner because I'll be seaming liners in the near future, so I patched the liner with the two sided seam tape and a rubber patch. Then I put one-sided seam tape over the top of that. I still wasn't feeling comfortable so I picked up some flex seal spray paint and put that over the top of everything. I'll test it this weekend, now that it's had several days to cure. It started to rain so we had to call it a weekend.

I had to work late Monday so on Tuesday evening I went out to do a little work on the pond. I walked over the pump vault area and noticed that there was almost no water in the pump vault. Well.... S#@%! I have a leak under a couple tons of rock, and it is at the bottom. Just to test out how bad the leak was I refilled the area and timed the drainage. Of course, it started to rain, but it was losing about an inch/hour when I went back inside. While I was filling the area and timing the leak (and sobbing hysterically on the inside), I decided to take out some aggression on the actual lower pond area. Last fall I had done some rock work in the bottom and really did not like how narrow the bottom tier was after the rocks were in. Because I had enough liner and space to expand the pond by at least two feet, I pulled out half of the existing rock work so I could fold the liner back and dig east. I know from some old movie that I'm supposed to "go west young man," but after the manual labor I can assure you I'm not a young man anymore. While moving the heavy rocks I hurt my wrist, because I wasn't miserable enough yet.

That brings me to last night, where I took the time to do the excavation for the pond expansion. That actually went pretty well, other than the dirt falling into the bottom tier next to the pond liner. That was and will be a pain in the backside moving forward, but overall that excavation is 90% done already. Just need to clean out the loose dirt that fell and straighten some of the edges.

If the weather holds this weekend and I don't get called in to work, I'm hoping to finish the last bit of excavation on the expansion. Then it's time to start emptying the drainage chamber and finding the leak, patching, and coming up with a better plan. I never thought to put a good fabric barrier on the inside as well, before adding the rocks, so that's a lesson learned. I'll do that after patching. Then I'll fill the area with water to stretch the liner/test the patches before putting the pump vaults, leaching chambers and rocks again. I THINK that what happened was the liner stretched and a sharp part of a larger rock must have caught the liner. I am using the angular rock in that area, so I may have to go with a smoother river rock until I get to the top (where I want the angular rock to match the surrounding landscape rock). When I get that done, I'll repeat that process in the bog area up top but I'll be using smaller river rock on the bottom layer and then pea gravel on top of that. Both of those projects are attainable this weekend I think. If there is any time (and energy) left, I'll start to rock in the bottom pond. I'm afraid I may have to take all the rock out of the bottom pond to get the ground cleared though, which will be a sad day.

It's not all bad news though. I attended a home show over the winter and won $500 to the vendor of my choice. I picked a landscape supply company so I can pick up some nice big slate and/or flagstone pieces for my stream, zero edges, pump covers, and fish caves. Hopefully will have some money left over for some better wall rock too. I also was able to do a quick estimate of the water volume in my catch basin which proved that I have at least 255 gallons in capacity with about 4" of room to fill still. I originally estimated 300 which should be over 2x my water in motion needs. I also was able to assemble the diffuser for the bottom of the bog. It is fed by 1 1/2" flex pipe and goes to a 2" PVC pipe that is slotted every 4" and has a small hole drilled between the slots. I did put in a clean out valve as well. I've got all the plumbing, filters, and pump in the garage ready for assembly when I want to take a break from digging. I even remembered to get check valves so my bog doesn't drain back to the pump basin or pond.

Pictures attached just to help commiserate. I should have taken a picture of the basin filled with rock. I like the way it looks and it came out as planned.

 

[addy1]

What a story! May it go better for you .................

 

[brokensword]

I agree; and maybe @addy1 can wave her lil pond wand and sprinkle some lucky dust on ya...just in case!

 

[combatwombat]

Good luck with the next steps! Are those septic tank/field materials you're using? I looked all over for that kind of stuff, but no one sells it where I am.