How to Build a Proper Waterfall

Call your local utility company to find out where any underground electrical, gas or telephone lines might be located in your backyard. Under no circumstance do you want to dig without knowing this information. It could be dangerous.

Decide on the location for your waterfall. If you don't plan to add any submersible plants to the water basin, then the location doesn't matter so much. However, if you plan on adding any plants or koi fish to the basin, you will need to decide on a location that receives at least six to eight hours of sunlight each day.

Outline the desired shape of the water basin with a garden hose. The basin should be at least 5 feet long and 5 feet wide. It can be a round basin, rectagular or abstract.

Mark the perimeters of the basin with marking paint.

Dig out the water basin with a shovel. Keep in mind that the depth of the basin should be at least 3 to 6 feet deep. This is because the water basin needs to be large enough to hold at least 20 gallons of water for the waterfall to work properly.

Place the basin or pond liner into the dug-out hole, smoothing out the bottom so there are no wrinkles. Pull up the sides of the liner so they are just over the ledge of the basin. Secure these edges with large landscaping rocks, giving the basin a realistic feel.

Place the pond filter inside the basin.

Dig out a section just outside the basin, from the edge (anywhere you'd please). The section should be roughly 4 feet wide and 8 feet long--large enough to hold the landscaping rocks.

Place the pond pump into the dug-out section, above the ledge of the basin. Connect one water line tube from the filter to the pump.

Add landscaping rocks to the dug out section. First, place at least three rocks near the edge of the basin, positioning them so they overhang the edge and are angled down. Add more landscaping rocks to the rest of the dug out section, creating a realistic appearance.

Connect the second water line tube to the pond bump and position it so it's going upward through the rocks. Take a few rocks and gently cover the water line, hiding it.

Fill the basin to the brim with water. Turn on the filter and prime the pond pump.