This is a follow-up to my earlier entry about our disappearing stream. I hope to write up a complete set of instructions on how to build such a stream from a novice’s perspective. I will begin with an overview of the materials we used and the high-level steps involved in building the disappearing stream. I will follow up with entries detailing these steps over time to build complete and detailed instructions.

Here I go with establishing the pre-requisites, the bill-of-materials, tools, and the high-level steps involved in building a disappearing stream like ours.

Pre-requisites

• A GFCI electric outlet within 15 feet of the stream site

Bill of materials

1. 45 Mil EPDM Pond Liner – in our case, we got a 8′ x 10′ piece – ensure that you get a piece bigger than what you think you need.
2. 1800 GPH Pondmaster Model 18 Pump (magnetic drive pump) – again ensure that the water pumping capacity is going to be adequate for your stream.
3. 3′ x 3′ water reservoir box with 3 cinder blocks, grate, and plastic mesh – a bigger reservoir ensures that you do not need to add water to your stream when you start up your stream after it has been off for a while.
4. 12-15′ of 1″ non-kinking tubing – the length needs to be adequate to run from the pump to the pot – account for the extra length needed to conceal the tubing.
5. Asian ceramic glazed pot (cannot use an ordinary Mexican pot)
6. 300-400 lb of large river pebbles
7. ~1 ton of Texas moss boulder stones
8. 1 can of Becket Waterfall Foam
9. 0.75″-1.25″ size clamp
10. Solar floating light balls
11. Low-voltage submersible light set with 3 flood lights
    
12. Miscellaneous frog-themed decorations

The first 6 items are from Hill Country Water Gardens, the stones are from Jacob and Sons, the waterfall foam is from Home Depot, and the remaining items are from Lowes, Costco and Big Lots.

Tools

• Shovel
• 4 feet level
• Scissors
• Saw

High-level Instructions

• Site preparation
• Setting up the water reservoir box
• Lay down the pond liner
• Set up the pot
• Connect the pump
• Run the pump and verify no leaks
• Lay the stones
• Seal the underside of rocks over which the water should flow
• Add the river pebbles
• Clean out the water
• Enjoy your stream

I will be back with more where I detail these high-level steps and add a troubleshooting section.

For a change, here is a non-geeky post from a really geeky guy! Yes, my wife and I were really keen on adding a water feature in our yard, and finally settled on a “disappearing stream”. Our reasoning included the lower maintenance requirements, less likelihood of messing up the eco-system, and less likely to attract snakes given that we have no real pond. I attended a class at Hill Country Water Gardens on how to build this kind of a water feature – the staff there is really wonderful -very patient and helpful – huge kudos to them. It turned out to be surprisingly easier than I expected, given that I am not exactly too handy around the house. Given that installation was about twice the cost of the materials, we decided to take it on ourselves and do it ourselves rather than trying to get it installed professionally. We got some help with lifting the stones from our yard maintenance guy, but this was definitely a family effort. I will write when I have more time on the steps involved in building this, but for now here are some pictures of our final result!