Streams

Streams are a natural way to help filter ponds. Typically a brook will be attached to a pond or ponds circulating water away from and back to the pond. They can aide in filtration by running the water over rock and stone.

Brooks are fun and interesting and can be highlighted with a number of beautiful plants such as shrubs, perennials and water plants. Lining them with rocks and bolders adds even more interest and provides nooks and cranies to plant small ground covers.

Normally they are built with rubber liner and rock. The rubber liner can be purchased at most home improvement stores or garden centers. If you have difficulty finding what you need, you can always search online for a better selection. When building a pond make sure you allow just a small outlet or inlet for the creek. Most people have a creek pour into a pond and then pump the water back to the top of the creek. Normally they use a small decline in elevation for a long creek.

We chose something a little different. Our pond fed a creek which declined to a basin under a bridge. The pump then returned the water back to a waterfall that dumped into the pond. For this we needed a rather large pump, one similar to a sump pump. We used rubber liner for the brook and dug about 3 foot deep and provided a 10" shelf on either side for stacking rock. We used one continuous piece of rubber to prevent any leaks. The stream ran through the middle of a huge bed and was perfectly visable from the bridge.

Our electrical was run underground inside conduit and then inside pvc for total protection. We had the ability to turn the whole system on from inside the house on a normal wall switch. We even had specific lighting in place that could also be turned on from indoors.

Streams not only help keep ponds clean but they also offer something unique from all of the other water features. The sounds and appearances are specific to the flow of water. Think about adding one of these amazing water features when designing your backyard paradise.