Pond-Free 101

Chapter 1

What is a 'Pond-Free' Water Feature?

The term ‘Pond-free’ refers to features that recirculate water from a hidden or buried reservoir instead of a pond, usually over a waterfall and back down into the gravel covering the reservoir. They share some of the same decorative elements as ponds – waterfall, stream, plantings if desired - but without the maintenance that a pond requires. The circulated water can return to the hidden reservoir in any number of ways: via a simple waterfall into gravel, or a stream, even through a hollow log. They share some of the same components as Decorative Water Features – closed reservoir, recirculating pump, a decorative fall of some sort - but we are going to distinguish them by “flavor”. Decorative Water Features are built into Hardscapes – patios, walks, garden walls – and feature artistically worked decorative items, whether they be vases or drilled rock columns, a statue or spitter. “Pond-free features”, by definition, will be those recirculating water features with a closed reservoir that are built into the landscape and have a natural look and feel.

Typical Pond-free Feature