I stood on my patio that late fall day three years ago and stared at sheer destruction. One determined river rat partied at my expense in the natural swimming pond that inspired me to start my company.
The busy beaver has nothing on muskrat love. I’ve got the pond to prove it.
Liner torn, plants crushed, stones out of place. Crucial components chewed through. The rodent burrowed through the pond’s structural edges. The pond that started me on my journey to create the perfect waterscape was totaled. I felt heartsick.
To fully understand how deeply the muskrat’s party in my pond affected me, let’s rewind two decades. When my wife, Becky, and I bought our house, we wanted a swimming pool in the backyard. After a bunch of contractor interviews it became clear that nobody was building the kind of natural swimming pool we envisioned. So I built it myself.
Something happened during those early days of designing and building that first large-scale water feature. I discovered a passion that aligned with my lifelong love of nature, plants and water. We also quickly realized that ponds serve multiple purposes.
The pond was a reflection of our lifestyle, our private backyard escape and an ideal space for entertaining family and friends. It was also my living laboratory, perfect for testing oxygenation and biofiltration technologies, and terrific for experimenting with biodiversity management and infrastructure development.
The Mess Before Me
So as I stood there that day, surveying the mess before me, all I could think about was loss. Yet in the back of my mind, a glimmer of opportunity started to take shape.
I knew I had no choice but to rebuild, so I became my own client. The remake would become the next generation of the first pond, showcasing decades of key learnings. I still had a lot of tinkering with oxygenation and filtration on my to-do list, so the laboratory would take on new experiments focused on next-level improvements.
Throughout the next two years, the Reflections Water Gardens crew and I worked to design and rebuild my pond in between client jobs. No quick fixes here. We started from scratch.
Due to structural limitations on the property, including mature trees and shrubs, I kept the original footprint and mirrored its general attributes. We got to work draining the existing 8-foot-deep pool and removed the wasted liner, aquatic plants and existing boulders.
My patience was tested as I took down our pergola and hauled heavy equipment over our brick patio. I had a new appreciation for how our clients must feel during their early days of pond construction. I am happy to report, however, that with only one layer of plywood protection on my patio, the 60,000-pound excavator did zero damage.
We resculpted the basin, scooping out 40 yards of soil and sending it in Super Sacks to a neighboring construction project. New stone was staged in the common area of our subdivision. Fortunately, that was right behind our house.
Most of the blasted rocks are from northern Wisconsin, along with black granite and limestone outcroppings. I reused some of the boulders from the original pond and had others hauled away. We used fewer smaller rocks and integrated larger boulders to give the new water feature weight and anchor it into the landscape.
The Rebuild Begins
extra-wide steps made of precast concrete, and separate lotus and lily beds near the wetland filter.
We laid the geotextile, matrix blocks and new pond liner, piping and upgraded filtration, and remade the existing 2-foot waterfall on the northwest end. We’re piping about 30,000 gallons of water through the new pond, only slightly more than the old one. Flows turn over more than once an hour.
The original pond featured a beach and stream on the far east end. I replaced those with extra-wide steps made of precast concrete. I like how they mimic weathered railroad ties.
The steps descend from the patio to a sand-bottom wading pool adjacent to new lotus and water lily beds. Because they can wander, lotus and water lilies are planted in separate underwater containers. This practice has become my signature on pond builds and renovations.
Like the original pond, the remake features distinct areas for wading, swimming and sunning. Submerged, black granite walls separate two shallower pools and the 8-foot-deep swimming area, where the waterfall is the focal point. Around the pond, strategically placed boulders provide places for relaxing and sunning.
Existing trees and shrubs survived the construction pretty well, as we had purposefully worked around them. Located at the back and sides of the pond, they provide privacy and a sense of seclusion in the natural setting. Newly planted aquatics and native perennials lend seasonal interest.
As we rebuilt, two summers passed slowly without our pond. I missed it as I designed and installed waterscapes for clients.
Tearing out my own work after 20 years in business was a reality check. When I built the original pond, our industry was in a very different place and so was I. Equipment was clunkier. Pipe sizing was sometimes a guess. Filtration was a mystery. We scratched our heads over flow dynamics. We really have come a long way.
Blank Slate Applications
Just as one step leads to another, each pond we build for clients presents fresh experiences and new opportunities to expand our thinking about the nature, function and value of custom waterscapes. One muskrat caused a lot of damage. But it gave me a blank slate on which to apply future key learnings.
Throughout the rebuild, I discovered that good hydraulics is everything. It creates a balanced ecosystem, moves water efficiently and supports optimal water quality as it uses less energy. By enhancing circulation across the pond’s basin, water moves gently and remains clear over extended periods, creating a healthier environment for people, plants and fish.
I used the original pond to begin pushing experiments beyond optimal filtration to supreme biofiltration, tinkering with ozone-based oxygenation and enhanced hydraulic circulation. I’m applying and perfecting it further in the pond remake. And while I’m continually tweaking the right balance of oxygen and flow, water clarity and ecosystem health have been outstanding in both the old and the new pond.
The proprietary system dissolves oxygen, improves circulation and suppresses algae in natural swimming pools and large koi ponds. This exciting ozone technology is included in our new client builds, retrofits and pool conversions. And it seems to be catching on. Industry response has been strong.
Over the years, I’ve also experimented with the viability and functionality of sand-bottom ponds. I’ve studied how sand, native plants and aquatic life work together to support localized biodiversity. Sand was only present in part of our former pond but covers the entire bottom in the remake. Water quality is clear to the bottom, where you can see what’s beneath your feet and enjoy its softness.
Creating Clear Reflections
There was also a surprise benefit to rebuilding the pond that I wasn’t expecting. I added koi to the water late last summer. With downturned mouths and double pairs of sensory whiskers, koi are natural bottom feeders. They root through the sand for insects, plant material, algae and small organisms. In other words, they help keep the sand clean. That means clearer, healthier water and less work for me.
We finished the new pond with enhanced LED lighting that meets strict electrical safety standards for human immersion. We installed it under the water to illuminate textures and plant silhouettes.
The lights are UL-listed, low-voltage LEDs designed to provide safe underwater illumination, especially in the pond’s shallow areas. They run on harmless 12-volt power through a plastic, shockproof design. I will have total peace of mind as we swim and entertain family and friends.
Finally, our remade pond opened this past summer. We thoroughly enjoyed it as tours, parties and gatherings resumed. So with the construction complete, the pond is maturing nicely and koi are swimming happily.
I’m sitting on my patio again, sketching out a few ideas and planning for future announcements. I’m still not happy with the muskrat, but I am happy with the new pond. The remake is proving to be a clear reflection of the original.
About the Author
Larry Carnes is founder, owner and president of Reflections Water Gardens. With more than 30 years of experience in the industry, Larry has transitioned from hands-on contractor to visionary leader focused on the intersection of natural artistry and company culture. Known for his “nature first” design philosophy, he crafts high-end, ecologically balanced water features that appear as though they have existed for centuries.
