Pondless Waterfalls and Streams – How it works

If you are new to water features, and find yourself the proud owner of one, here is a guide to figure out what you have and how it works. 

Diagram of a pondless water feature

These diagrams show the basics of a pondless waterfall. We follow the Aquascape system as it has worked really well for us. 

At the top of the waterfall the water comes out of the Spillway.  This distributes the water across the first drop rather than the water coming out an open pipe.  

The whole system is lined with 45 mil epdm liner so that the water is contained and recirculates. 

Photo of an Aquascape Spillway for a pondless waterfall

Aquascape Spillway

The stream and waterfalls can be built to fit practically any space!

When the water reaches the bottom of the stream, it looks like it is disappearing into the rocks and it is! Under the rocks there is a water containment system which we refer to as the basin.  We use AquaBlox to hold the water and a vault houses and protects the pump. The lid on the vault makes it easy to access the pump without having to dig through rocks. 

Did you know it is VERY IMPORTANT the vault holds all the water in the system when is turned off?  It IS!

Photo of Aquablox, a vault and liner

This photo shows the AquaBlox and vault inside the liner before the rocks are placed on top.

What purpose do the rocks serve?

  • They create continuous look of the stream all the way to the basin.
  • They protect the equipment.
  • They help the water feature look natural and hide the eqpuipment.
  • They help keep the water clean.

A pondless stream or waterfall can have a variety of looks. The look depends on:

        • The space
        • The builder
        • The type of rocks
        • The surrounding landscaping (think PLANTS!)
Photo of a pond pump box with pipes

An external pump could look something like this, or it may be more complicated.
There are creative ways to set up pond equipment and plumbing!

This is the basics of a pondless waterfall system. Yours’ may be slightly different and have different equipment. 

Need help identifying what you have or learning how to take care of it?  Give us a call! 

720-523-1575