Restoring neglected stream/small pond

[Christine09]

we recently got a place that came with a small pond. with more inspection we noticed it had a very neglected long stream under a inch of old pine needles. the stream ends into the pond which is about 3 ft by 5-6 feet with an irregular shape (not sure how much this pond holds.). The Pond itself has been neglected and is growing who knows what with a lot of algae branches and clumps of plant matter on the bottom. My plan for the pond is to empty it and scrub it completely then get the right equipment and start fresh. the pond doesn't seem to have any leeks and is holding the water it has in it. The stream on the other hand is super long and has been neglected for a long time. i racked out some of the debris and there are river rock above a pond/stream liner with large rocks edging the stream. i haven't noticed any tubing/pump to carry the water from the stream to pond yet.. but i will look further into it. MY question is what is the best way to go about fixing a neglected stream to get all debris out. do i have to replace the liner under the stream or can i test it and just find leeks. my thought was to wash the river rock/stream with a hose possibly then test the liner? Or replace the whole thing and start fresh, i hope it doesn't come to that because it would be A LOT of work. this pond garden use to be well taken care of and loved i am sure of it and i want to restore it back to its old glory. The picture uploaded is before i cleaned it up a bit.

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome! How pretty!

 

[Christine09]

thanks im trying to figure out how to clean it up the easiest way and how to tell if there is holes in the liner >.>

 

[herzausstahl]

thanks im trying to figure out how to clean it up the easiest way and how to tell if there is holes in the liner >.>

Have you dug in the stream enough to make sure there's a liner under it? Could be a decorative "dry" stream bed. Easiest way is grab a bucket, some gloves & start digging out the stream. Really no easy way. To test the pond for holes, fill it with water, let it sit & see if you lose any water over a 24 hr period. As for the stream, only way is to get a pump & tubing, start running water down it & see if there's a major water loss. Check the edges of the stream to make sure water isn't leaking over the sides anywhere. Bigger question is how deep is the stream. So a little more digging & we can help!

 

[GBBUDD]

Strong leaf blower. add water, mark a high point and see if the water drops. mind you if you have lots of rocks the rocks will absorb water . my water level droped almost 4 inches,

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group!

Clean the stream, see if there is a liner under all the debris. Clean it by hand, don't dig so if there is a liner you don't tear it. I clean mine every spring and off and on during the summer. A bucket and gloves works.

 

[Christine09]

there is most defiantly a liner under the stream i can see it on the top of the stream and the end as well as sections throughout the stream. ill go up there today to work on it more so ill update the photo. the stream isn't very deep but i m not sure exactly cause there seems to be a lot of small river rock. im going to try and get more debris off the stream today and see if there is a hose extending anywhere on the stream. but is there a way to patch small tears?

 

[herzausstahl]

there is most defiantly a liner under the stream i can see it on the top of the stream and the end as well as sections throughout the stream. ill go up there today to work on it more so ill update the photo. the stream isn't very deep but i m not sure exactly cause there seems to be a lot of small river rock. im going to try and get more debris off the stream today and see if there is a hose extending anywhere on the stream. but is there a way to patch small tears?

Good idea. I've never had to patch a tear, but if they used epdm liner for it like I did the stuff is pretty tough. My mom has a pond with it that's been through 25-30 years of our freeze/thaw cycles here with parts exposed to uv light the entire time without breaking down. If it's not that, as daunting as it could seem, redoing it properly with epdm could be well worth it in the long run. You can buy it in 5' wide long sections to keep it continuous. I've got a 20' + stream with it & @addy1 's is probably twice that. It's seems daunting at first but really develops into a labor of love. To be honest I'd think locating a small tear in a stream would be 10x harder or more than finding one in a pond.

 

[GBBUDD]

Where ever the leak is you should be able to feel a void or a soft spot through the liner

 

[Christine09]

 

[Christine09]

Picked up some debris from the stream so u can now see the river rock. Looks to be at leas 3-4 inchs of river rock in the stream. While digging I found ants in the bottom mid and top of stream which makes me concerned it has holes. So I'll just rip it all out and add a pipe for the water which I haven't found. I don't know much about the tarp but I could see my hand from the other side makes me wonder if it was just decorative. I started emptying the pond which was filthy it had bricks on the bottom of the pond? Is that normal why would someone put bricks in the bottom? Pond seems to be around 2 feet deep. For later knowledge Can I have fish in that over the winter?

 

[sissy]

looks like you have something there to work with .You can buy patch kits online and in lowes hardware stores .bricks could have been to sit plants on or in colder climates it is used to hold those preforms down .They shift and heave in freeze and thaw .Is there electric .I would change the preformed out for liner when money permits it

 

[addy1]

For later knowledge Can I have fish in that over the winter?

You are zone 9 your pond will be fine. Low chance of freezing over.

 

[addy1]

While digging I found ants in the bottom mid and top of stream which makes me concerned it has holes.

I find ants living in traps all of the time, new tarps without holes. They live anywhere.

 

[Christine09]

i think im just going to pull all the rocks up and get a new liner. i have been looking at the types of liners and i think i m going to get rpe liner. does anyone have experience with that type of liner? i am also going to break up the stream since its very long and add a very small pond with a drop off before and after to make more waterfall noises. hopefully i will get all the rocks removed by next week. there is electric on the top of the stream and near the fence.