CREATING A WATERFALL FOR YOUR POND

Waterfalls add considerably to the beauty of a garden pond, not only in terms of appearance but also by that magic sound of flowing water. A waterfall assists in aerating the pond and improving the circulation of the water.

When you plan your waterfall there are two measurements that you will need. 1. You will need to know the height of the waterfall above the surface of the pond. 2. You will need to know the width of the flow of water down the waterfall. For every 1 inch (2.5cms) of width of waterfall, you need to allow 50 gallons per hour (230 litres per hour). So, if the waterfall is 12 inches wide we need a total of 12 x 50 = 600gph (And, in metric, our waterfall is 30cms wide we therefore need a total of 30cm divided by 2.5 = 12 x 230 = 2760 litres per hour).

Now, whichever units you use, you need 600gph or 2760 l/hr at the top of the waterfall and we should now consult the pump tables to see which pump is capable of delivering this amount of water. Don't forget that if you have a filter requirement as well as a waterfall, you should choose a pump that is capable of doing both jobs.

So, as an example, if our pond is 1000 gallons (4500ltrs) in volume, our waterfall is 12 inches (30cms) wide and 2ft (60cms) above the surface of the pond. We have two jobs for the pump:

1. To circulate the water once every two hours i.e. 500 gph / 2250 l/hr. for filtration. (We have assumed the use of Ultra Violet - see Ultra Violet filtration for flow rates).

2. To supply the waterfall with 600gph / 2760 l/hr. (That is 12 x 50gph or 30cms divided by 2.5 = 12 x 230 l/hr = 1760 l/hr)

Now we know the two requirements of the pump, we can consult the pump tables and we will find have a choice of at least five pumps that will efficiently and economically perform both tasks.