Pond Update

The pond, as it was, is no more. Although tempted by the thought of raising my own trout, I decided to get out of the fish business. However, I love the sound of gurgling water, so the new design is to greatly reduce the pond to a small pool to catch a cascading stream.

Here is what the pond looked like while being dismantled. I had a difficult time keeping water out of it because of all the rain we've had this spring.

I had to use the pump constantly to get the water out. I eventually ruined the pump with all the grit and sand, which probably chewed up the motor.

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As you can see in this next photo, the pond has been filled in, requiring 3 tons of fill dirt. The dog is quite surprised, as hours ago this area used to be a 4-foot hole. (Or maybe she's just interested in the foreign goodies that came in the fill dirt.)

In the bottom right, you can see the small pool filling with water. This is a couple feet deep in the middle with 2 shallow shelves where I can set some potted water plants.

The dirt area where the dog is will serve as an extension to the patio, complete with a raised fire pit structure and some seating. To add interest and depth, I decided to keep this area lower than the main patio, kind of like a sunken living room. This not only reduced the amount of fill dirt needed, but it maximized the stream flow by allowing the pool to be lower.

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Here is another shot, this time looking towards the stream. As you can see, the construction of the stream is also a work in progress.

The preformed pool can hold 90 gallons of water. I am pumping it up to another preformed header pool, which holds about 5 gallons. This water then gurgles down a series of steps I built underneath the old pond liner.

In the end, the black liner will be all covered up with rocks. I am using left-over moss rock from previous projects and small river rock. I am discovering to my delight that when the river rock is wet, there are some very beautiful colors and patterns.

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This picture shows the stream portion. It is not much to look at now, but it does sound wonderful while running. A video with audio will be posted as soon as it is all done.

The challenge will be to cover up all the black plastic liner and the header pool, while still keeping the look natural.

I would like to tuck some plants here and there, all to make it look natural.

More photos to follow as the project progresses.