How to Create a Stream or Watercourse for your Pond
Recommended Materials
What You Will Need
- rope
- chalk
- excavasion tools, flat spade
- long nails
- easy access to water
- edging materials
- large rocks and stones
Designing and Installing Your Stream or Watercourse
- Design your stream or watercourse. Start off by putting your plans down on paper - this will help you know exactly how much liner you will need when purchasing materials for the water feature.
- Location of your watercourse. Mark out your stream on the ground with chalk or rope. Make it about twice the width as you want the finished stream to be.
- Install your pump. Install the pump tubing, burried, to bring water from the foot of the stream to the start.
- Digging your stream. Dig the trench for the watercourse, sloping the edges in until it makes a V point at the bottom, making sure the top edges on both sides are level. Create variations in width and depth to allow the watercourse to move faster or slower through different areas. Add areas where you can create a dam that will hold the water when the pump is not in use.
- Add liner. Lay down about 2 inches of sand on the bottom of the stream trench before adding underlay and liner. Cut off any liner that you don't need for the stream leaving a few inches to extend under the stream edging. Nail the liner around the sides to hold it down.
- Finishing Touches. Add edging materials to the stream, as well as large rocks and stones throughout the stream to create a variation in water speed and sound.