How to Build a Pond on a Sloping Hill

• 1

  Select a location. Avoid damp areas of the yard because they will force water to seep through or lift your pond liner. Select an area where the soil is sufficiently deep, before reaching rock, so you can dig out a level bed for your pond. Pick a sunny or partially sunny spot if you plan to grow aquatic plants.

• 2

  Plan the shape and size of your pond. Opt for a larger pond, if space allows, for easier maintenance over time. Use a flexible garden hose to mark out the shape of the pond. Leave the hose in place for a few days. Check to ensure that you like its size and shape during different times of day as the sun moves across the sky.

• 3

  Decide whether to build a single-level pond or a series of ponds with waterfalls. Expect to do more extensive digging for a single-level pond and to buy more equipment for a multi-tiered pond.

For a Single-Level Pond

• 4

  Use a level to measure the height difference between the lowest point of your pond and the highest point. Begin digging at the lower end of the pond, until you reach a depth sufficient for your pump system and any aquatic plants or animals you will put in the pond. Allow a depth of at least 18 inches, regardless of plant and animal life.

• 5

  Continue digging out, with a shovel, toward the deeper end of the pond. Set the level on the floor of the pond intermittently as you dig until it is absolutely level.

• 6

  Line the bottom of the pond with pieces of carpet or underlay material to keep rocks and other sharp objects from puncturing your pond liner. Set the pond liner over the carpet or underlay. Do not cut the liner; bury any excess material around the edges once the pond is complete.

• 7

  Cover the pond liner with rocks. Begin by placing a rock roughly in the center of the pond. Add rocks around it, in a circle, and add more in concentric circles outward until the entire pond bottom is covered. Finish it off with a ring of larger rocks around the pond's border.

• 8

  Fill the pond with water. Add any aquatic plants and fish. Follow the recommendations of your local horticultural extension or a reputable aquarium shop to determine the best species for your area.

For Multi-Level Ponds

• 9

  Plan out the shapes of multiple ponds at different heights. Make the lowest pond the largest, with progressively smaller ponds further uphill. Use a level and a measuring tape to ensure that each pond is at the desired relative height. Use a large height difference between ponds for tall, dramatic waterfalls, or a smaller difference for more understated falls.

• 10

  Use a level to make the bottom of each individual pond level as you would for a single-level pond. Install a pump system to draw water from the lowest pond back to the top. Line each pond with underlay and liners as for a single-level pool.

• 11

  Fill the ponds with water. Start by filling the uppermost pond, pausing in between to gauge the flow of water from pond to the next. Shift the rocks around the waterfall areas, as necessary, to produce the most pleasing effect.