Ponds 103 Chapter 4
Creating the Stream
The sight and sound of water rushing over stones and tumbling down falls is irresistible, so it’s well worth the trouble to build one if you have the room. The easiest way is to create a series of generously-sized level platforms cut down into the mound of the excavated soil from the pond. You want to make the platforms much wider than you intend the stream to be, so you’ll have the room to meander from side to side and still have room for the rocks on the edge. The sides of the platforms have to be high enough to keep the water from spilling over the sides, so cut the platforms into the slope the same way water would excavate a channel down into the soil, deeply enough so that even with gravel covering the liner the water will be safely contained within the walls of the stream. Once you’ve got the steps in place, dig the biological filter in at the head of the stream, leaving it high enough to allow access to the attachment screws. Make sure there’s enough soil above the level of the biofilter so the water won’t be starting at the top of the mound, but a little below it, the way it might naturally.
The sight and sound of water rushing over stones and tumbling down falls is irresistible, so it’s well worth the trouble to build one if you have the room. The easiest way is to create a series of generously-sized level platforms cut down into the mound of the excavated soil from the pond. You want to make the platforms much wider than you intend the stream to be, so you’ll have the room to meander from side to side and still have room for the rocks on the edge. The sides of the platforms have to be high enough to keep the water from spilling over the sides, so cut the platforms into the slope the same way water would excavate a channel down into the soil, deeply enough so that even with gravel covering the liner the water will be safely contained within the walls of the stream. Once you’ve got the steps in place, dig the biological filter in at the head of the stream, leaving it high enough to allow access to the attachment screws. Make sure there’s enough soil above the level of the biofilter so the water won’t be starting at the top of the mound, but a little below it, the way it might naturally.
