babbling brook ~ installation

end of water line

The brook started out, in August 2006, as a piece of pipe sticking out of the ground. This irrigation pipe was put in place once it was possible to draw water The suction line from pond to dwelling unit had to be repaired. This was accomplished in July 2006. The repair is discussed on the irrigation page. from the pond out back. We thought to raise the water outlet so as to create a waterfall; however, to prevent snow drifts from forming across the crest of the driveway, the top of the brook had to be lower than the driveway.

After installing the water supply line and replacing the earth over it, the course the water would take in the finished brook was established. This included a slight vertical drop so that water would spill over an edge part way down the slope.

Once the earth was reshaped, rubber pond liner was installed to prevent water from saturating the side of the dike. The rubber was then pressed into the earth to make sure there were no air pockets underneath it.

roughing in water course

fitting liner; starting vertical drop

mini *waterfall*

carefully placing rocks

Key elements were developed further. The vertical drop, which required considerable fiddling (and for which a few pieces of purchased slate were used), was made to work. The brook was curved slightly away from the path; the rubber was cut to the shape of the brook. A large granite rock was placed at the end of the lined area.

hosing stream bed

liner cut to fit

Rocks and gravel, gathered from the yard, were carefully placed in position. Tiny pebbles were tossed in to cracks and gaps to keep them from filling with foreign material. However, this didn’t actually do the trick, as it were. Many of these pebbles and smaller rocks moved around when the path of the water was hosed clear of soil which runs into the brook when it rains; soil leaches out of the rocky edges during heavy rains. This soil erosion will eventually ease up once plants are growing on the edges of the brook.

covering liner

tweaking flow of water

The brook follows the line of a walking path but a stretch of the water's path is not lined with rubber. This last third of the brook is in a flat area where it is okay if the ground becomes wet. However, when the stream was wet, soil where the walking path was going to go became very soft. So the course of the water was diverted away from the line of the path. This portion of the brook was lined with small gravel and pebbles to reduce soil erosion.

from the top

from the bottom;
last third yet to be redirected

construction ~ 2007

The path was fully shaped and topped with gravel.

mini *waterfall* ~ 06AU30

finished brook; finished path ~ 07SE19

Except for washing out sediment after heavy rains, no repairs or improvements have been needed on this element. However, weeding the brook remains an ongoing concern.

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babbling brook | babbling brook ~ species table | babbling brook ~ planting