How to Make a Homemade Waterfall
- 1). Dig a hole for the pond and set aside the dirt. Line the hole with a rubber pond liner, making sure the edges of the liner extend beyond the rim of the hole. Staple the edges of the liner to the ground with 12-inch metal staples.
- 2). Pile the dirt around the edge of the pond and build it up on one side to form the waterfall. Pack it well and fortify it with rock, gravel or concrete mix, then cover it with a layer of black rubber.
- 3). Spread a layer of concrete or mortar mix over and around the rubber and set rocks into it to form the waterfall. Use your creativity to make the waterfall as steep or curvy as you like. Set a plastic hose into the concrete before it sets. One end of this hose should extend into the pond and the other end emerge at the top of the waterfall. Camouflage the top end with rocks.
- 4). Size the submersible pump you buy to deliver enough water to create a steady, gentle fall that is not so large as to create a distraction. The rule of thumb is that 100 gallons per hour are needed for every inch of width of the waterfall, so that a waterfall one foot wide would need 1200 GPH. Be sure to check the specifications of the pump.
- 5). Make a filter for the pump by lining a plant pot that is large enough to contain it with evaporative cooler padding. Place the pump in the pot, connect it to the plastic tube and set the pot in the bottom of the pond. Then cover the pot with the padding and camouflage it with small rocks or gravel.
- 6). Plug the pump into an inline switch or a timer and then plug that into an outdoor receptacle. Fill the pond with water and turn the pump on. As the water is flowing, set rocks along the waterfall to refine the flow and provide more camouflage and aesthetic appeal. In time, the rocks will grow algae and other beneficial organisms.
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