How to Make a Natural Waterfall
- 1). Look at examples of designs and photographs of other backyard waterfalls. This will give you some ideas and you may see similar terrain and materials as found in your own backyard. This will help you construct your own waterfall.
- 2). Walk around your backyard and profile the land. If you already have a pond, there is no question as to where to position the waterfall. If you do not have a pond, consider if you would like to see the waterfall from your back window or if you would like it to be more secluded. Consider where there is enough space to dig a pond or insert a premade pond. If there is a natural slope in your backyard, you may want to think about positioning the waterfall there, or perhaps you want to stack enough rocks to create a sufficient cascade, without relying on an incline.
- 3). Assess and assemble your materials. Collect rocks of different sizes and other natural items from your own backyard, from a neighbor or a stone yard. Visit a garden or landscaping shop and judge whether you would prefer to purchase a man-made pond with a liner, or just the liner itself. Also, look at and select pumps, tanks and precast waterfall rocks.
- 4). Create the pond. You probably would have already discussed the size you envisioned with an expert at the landscaping shop. The size of the pond should reflect the pump you will be using and the height of the cascades. If you are digging a pond, insert the liner. Rocks and the tank will secure it. The liner prevents the ground from absorbing water so that it is recirculated into the waterfall system. If you purchased a pond with a liner, dig a shallow burrow to keep it in place.
- 5). Build the cascades. The top of the chute needs a flat, long and rectangular rock that will form the spillway of the waterfall system. If you wish, insert a second or third flat rock to create additional spillway levels. Prop the flat rocks with round rocks of varying sizes and fill in all the gaps with small stones. Place boulders or large rocks on either side of the cascade system for support. Be creative and as long as you fill all the gaps you can fashion a design to your liking.
- 6). Set up the pump and tank system. Some waterfall designers incorporate a water tank (also called a waterfall tank or reservoir tank) with a filtration system. It is positioned behind the cascade system so the spout or outlet is above the top spillway rock. Then, a pump at the bottom of the pond is connected to the tank so water from the pond is recirculated into the tank, making it a renewable closed system. Insert the pump system you purchased and follow the directions the landscaping service representative or manual provided.
- 7). Add the final touches to your waterfall project. To make it a more natural design, incorporate some plants that are native to the surrounding ecosystem or hang a bird feeder on a nearby tree.
