Making Your Water Feature More Sustainable

Sustainability in water features means not only decreasing the amount of energy used, but also includes minimizing the need to replace water. The following elements can help you reduce your water feature’s water usage and make it more energy efficient.      

The farther and harder the water falls, the more it evaporates.  Big waterfalls may seem appealing, but in individual yard settings they can overwhelm the environment. When falling the water is thinner, some of it turning to mist, and has more surface area exposed to direct sunlight. The result is water loss due to drift and evaporation. If you are considering creating a new waterfall, scaling down can help you maximize your water savings while still enjoying the benefits of a smaller waterfall.  

Plant some cover. Experts advise covering at least 40 percent of a pond’s surface area with aquatic plans. Too much temperature variation between day and night encourages algae growth. The plants also aid the ecosystem, working with Mother Nation to keep the pond healthy and clean, which enhances its longevity and enjoyment.  

Add some shade. You don’t need to completely block out the sun, of course, but shading the water — especially during the hottest times of the day-can greatly cut down on the evaporation. 

Keep the water clean. Clean water is a key to maximizing your satisfaction, energy efficiency and the overall longevity of your water feature.  

Enhancing sustainability with captured rainwater. Rainwater harvesting is growing in popularity as s supplement to using city water for water features and landscape irrigation. Essentially, a rainwater catchment system consists of storage tanks (often buried underground) fed by pipes leading down from gutters. Even in areas of lower annual precipitation, there are times each year when the rains comes down in buckets, then quickly washes away and dries up when the storms pass. A catchment system capitalizes on those times, which are often enough in many cases to replenish the supply for long-term use. A benefit of using rainwater is that is has not been treated with chemicals. Rainwater doesn’t have chlorides and has less salt than is usually found in the local water supply. This results in better water for the plants.  

Choose an energy efficient pump. There are lots of new energy efficient pumps that can bring down the cost of your pond. In general, external pond pumps are many times more energy efficient than submersible pumps. In many past cases, pool pumps have been used for water features which are much more expensive to run.  

If you need help, hire a licensed contractor: If you are considering an upgrade and need a contractor be sure to hire a licensed contractor. If the price of your job is $500 or more (including costs of labor and materials), state law requires that the person or company doing the job be licensed by the Contractors State License Board. One of the best ways to choose a contractor is to use the Contractor Search feature on the CLCA website at www.clca.org.