Where is all the water going?
The 4 most frequent causes of mysterious water loss from a Bird-Creek or pond are:
- The liner has a hole in it (this is actually the least frequent of the causes)
- Tree roots have invaded your system and are “drinking” large amounts of water
- Water is being lost at the waterfall
- For a creek or cascade system, water is overflowing one of the edges of the creek liner or cascade
Following are steps to pin down where the water is being lost, and then once located, it is usually straightforward to correct the problem:
Step 1 – Turn off the pump and see if the water level still drops. If it does NOT drop, go to Step 3. If it does drop, you either have a hole in the liner, or tree roots are drinking up the water. First check for tree roots by removing edging rocks and inspecting. If NO roots are found, go to Step 2. If roots are found going into the water, trim them off to several inches beyond the outside edge of the pond. Then refill the system, still leave the pump off, and observe. If the water level again drops, go to Step 2.
Step 2 – At this point, you probably have a hole in the liner. Let the water stabilize at its lowest point, and then then carefully inspect the liner all the way around the pond AT the water line. If you find a hole and it is not too large, try to patch it. Use a piece of liner about 6 inches larger than the hole all the way around the hole, and glue in place with contact cement. The liner must be dry and clean when you do this, so pump another 6 inches or so of water out of the pond to gain access for cleaning and patching. Follow the instructions on the contact cement. This is like patching an inner tube. If the hole is not patchable, you will need a new liner. It can be installed on top of the old liner. Just be sure that if a rock or other sharp object has punctured the liner, that the sharp object is removed before you install the new liner.
Step 3 - If you only loose water when the pump is in operation, then you either have a leak at the waterfall, or the water is overflowing an elevated creek liner or cascade piece. Careful inspection while the pump is operating will usually reveal where the leak is occurring – remove the edging rocks and look for damp or wet soil. Settling after a heavy rain is a common cause of water escaping a creek system. Leaves can also partially obstruct a cascade overflow lip, causing water to back up and escape over the side of the cascade. If you trace the leak to the waterfall, we strongly recommend you place all of the waterfall rocks within the perimeter of the liner as the most fool proof way to stop waterfall water loss.
Other documented causes of mysterious water loss are:
- Large furry dogs taking a bath
- Strong winds stripping water off a waterfall
- Large flocks of birds, such as grackles, bathing
- Underestimating evaporation on hot dry days
Copyright ©2003 Avian Aquatics Used With Permission