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MONSTER Pond

July / August, 2010

Vicki Vaughan

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45,000-gal natural pond. The main waterfall rock is 14´ long. The filter vault is underneath the grass with the bonsai tree on top.

Our client has taken a great deal of time and expense to develop his estate and the concealment of the filtration system was paramount. To date we have been commissioned to install a total of seven ponds for this particular client at a single location. The pond types range from strictly formal to the pond we are elaborating on today – a very natural pond with a large waterfall.

We devised a reinforced masonry filter house that could be located close to the pond and allow for massive filtration without distraction from the beautiful grounds. The filter house is accessed via a doorway that is carefully hidden. The reinforced concrete roof is 2´ underground and is covered with sod.

This pond required massive filtration as the owner planned to stock it with 75 to 80 Japanese koi that range from 20˝ to 40˝. It was also important to the owner that we inflict minimal damage to the grounds as we installed the pond. (Let’s not make things easy!)

The resulting pond required a 50´ by 100´ liner. The sidewalls are reinforced concrete block with a concrete apron. There are five Rhino 2 air dome bottom drains and five Noniche skimmers.

The filter pit has two huge vortexes – each being fed by two bottom drains. The fifth bottom drain goes to a Koi Camp solids separator.

The pond has three 9 cubic foot bead filters. It has a 600-gal fluidized bioreactor. Then to polish things off, the pond is kept gin clear with a 1500-watt stainless steel UV.

There are a total of seven 1/2 horse pumps – four service all the filters and the remaining three provide a 1˝ laminar flow of water over a 14´ waterfall stone.

Many of the rocks used around the pond exceed two tons. On the property is a well that allows for trickle flow thru 24 hours a day.

The excavation was accomplished with a track hoe and bobcat with careful relocation of the soil to other parts of the property. A crew of eight people completed this project in four weeks.

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