Whether it’s a dramatic waterfall or a quiet pond, water works its magic when it comes to oxygenating your pond. Flowing water also provides a natural ambient noise that masks other sounds from the neighborhood such traffic noise.
However keep in mind that not all koi breeds thrive in a pond with a waterfall. This is because fast flowing fountains lower the temperature of a pond. If you do build a fountain for a pond that contains koi make sure the water is low pressure and not much more than a trickle.
An external pond filter or waterfall tank can be positioned against the shallow edge of the pool to create a waterfall. This can be placed to spill directly into the pond in which case the pond liner is held against the pond filter until you are able to stack stones upwards from the shallow edge of the pond shelf to create a waterfall.
If you want to build a stream is desired then create a trench several inches deep that leads to pond. Line this with pond underlayment and cut to fit pond liner making sure that you allow extra material to overlap several inches into the pond. Streams should be dug wider than the finished size to make room for river stone that can be placed into the stream to make it look natural. Stones and rocks can be secured to the liner using mortar. This will hold back the water allowing it to spill over the stone creating the waterfall.
If you are using a submersible pump, place the where it should be in the liner. Now add some rocks or broken brick around and under the pump, making it level with the top of the liner. It should be in alignment whit your water level. Be sure that your pump is secure. This is ideal for creating a spray in the center of your pond.
You can leave the liner bare or you can fill it with dirt, rocks, sand or river rocks. Fill your pond with water, and allow it to stand for a couple of days before stocking it to allow any chlorine in the water to dissipate. Just make sure that everything is settled before you attempt to operate a pump. You can also add these elements later if you are curious to see if your pump works right away
To test the pump fill the liner with water and hook your pump up to a grounded electric outlet. You will be able to adjust the water flow to make a nice gently flowing fountain, a fine spray or a burble. liner.
Also be sure to keep your liner full of water. The water will evaporate, and if the water level gets too low, a submersible pump starts “burning air” and breaks. Try to keep your submersible pump under water at all time when it is operating. Also be sure to take the pump inside when the water starts to freeze