Are Pondless Waterfalls Hard to Maintain?

Chevy or Ford? Coke or Pepsi? Chocolate or Vanilla? Which is better?

Just like statements comparing Chevy or Ford; Coke or Pepsi; or Chocolate or Vanilla, there are many ways to build ponds and pondless waterfalls. Is one way better? Does a certain method work while another doesn’t worK? Simply put, no. There are many ways to build a pondless waterfall. How the waterfall is built will set the pattern on how it is maintained.

At Minnesota Waterscapes, we build pondless waterfalls mimicking Mother Nature by using rocks & gravel, recirculating water, and… the big secret player, beneficial bacteria. These three parts work together to keep algae and maintenance low.

Here is a quick rundown on how to maintain a pondless waterfall if yours has a rock basin:

  1. Add bacteria- this is key to algae control! Bacteria comes in different strains so it may seem tedious to learn which is which and when to use them. Basically, I add cold water bacteria early in the spring. At first, I add it daily for a week. This builds up the colony of bacteria which break down nutrients in the water. After the initial daily-dose-for-a-week, I add it weekly. Or, if I wanted to, I could add a little gadget to add bacteria for me. When the water warms up past 50F, I switch to regular bacteria for the rest of the summer and fall.
  2. Remove debris- I find this easy to do when I pull a few weeds in the garden next to my waterfall. I pick off a few sticks or a clump of leaves sitting on top the gravel. I do NOT hand pick all the leaves- just some.
  3. Rain & Leaks: Rain and leaks both ADD nutrient rich water to a pondless waterfall system. To keep algae from growing like gang busters, you may have to add bacteria every day after a rain storm for a few days to cut the extra nutrients down! A leak would mean fresh water is being added so fixing a leak will stop the addition of extra nutrients in the water, too.
  4. Depending on the pondless waterfall location, a spring clean out can help. (This is power washing junk out of the rock crevasses and using the pump to remove the rinse water onto the lawn instead of back in the system.) Some pondless waterfalls need it done every year because of heavy amounts of tree leaves falling on or blowing in. But most don’t really need it that often, at least here in Minnesota.
  5. String Algae – Algae does grow because water has some nutrients in it. If there is a little amount of nutrients, you will have low algae growth. If there are high nutrient amounts, the algae will grow more! Occasionally, I use a powdered contact algacide + cleaner to kill and then break down the algae. The good bacteria can then finish the processes to break the cycle.
  6. BTY- all those rocks? They have a purpose. Rocks increase moist surface area where good bacteria can grow! Rocks also keep debris from sinking down into the basin. If a basin gets plugged by tiny debris settling in, most likely regular maintenance has been ignored but it can be fixed by rinsing down the rocks and pumping out the sludge-filled water in the pump basin.

If you do not practice cleaning off leaves and debris or if you forget to use bacteria for a season, the algae will grow! But if you do use bacteria and clean up a little here and there, you can count on enjoying the peaceful sound of running water with minimal maintenance!

Check out our gallery of Pondless Waterfalls or more photos of pondless waterfalls from around the Twin Cities area below:

Quick Contact Form Call Us