- 1). Designate one side of the pond to be the entrance/exit for the ducks. This portion of the pond will have a gently sloping bottom that will allow for swimming ducks to easily find their footing and walk out of the pond. Ducks will use all sides of a pond to jump into the water, but they will self-train to walk out of the pond via the "path of least resistance."
- 2). Scrape away soil from the pond hole to create a gently sloping shelf on the side designated in Step 1. Duck's feet can extend 6 to 9 inches below the water surface, so the deepest part of the slope for this area should be between 10 and 12 inches below the pond's top. Use the shovel handle or a long piece of scrap lumber across the pond top to help measure depths.
- 3). Taper the slope from the deep end of 10 to 12 inches gradually up to a depth of 2 to 3 inches at the pond's outermost lip or edge. Place the excess soil just outside the shallow end's edge, extending the "beach" or landing.
- 4). Check the level of the top rim of the hole with the scrap lumber bridging across the top with a bubble-level resting on the bridge. Correct the top rim of the hole's level. Add or remove soil as needed.
- 5). Insert the loose pond liner into the hole so a minimum of 18-inch lengths overlap over all top edges of the pond, including covering the tapered slope and landing. Fill the pond 2/3 to 3/4 with water, guiding the liner as needed to lay flat, snugly and uniformly in the hole. Be sure that the bottom edge of the slope is slightly underwater, no more than 2- to 4-inches submerged.
- 6). Begin laying larger, thicker pieces of flat stone, such as flagstone or slate on the deepest part of the slops, ensuring they rest snugly atop the liner and underlying soil. Continue setting stone end-to-end across the course of the slope.
- 7). Begin the second and then third course run of stones up the gentle slope of the pond, using slightly thinner pieces as the slope ends at the upper reaches on the "beach" or landing.
- 8). Fill the pond up to 90 to 95 percent capacity. Watch the edges of the pond and liner, adding soil to the edges under the liner if needed to create an even edge as the water rises.
- 9). Set flat stone around the entire periphery of the pond. Pull taut the excess liner and lay it down on the rim of the hole, placing a stone atop it to anchor and protect the lining. Place the stones end-to-end around the pond edge. Cut away excess liner overlap as rocks are laid so the edges are hidden by the rock.
- 10
Fill the pond to capacity. Set or adjust the last of the flat stones around the sloped landing to ensure no water escapes from the edge of sloped landing, but also that all parts of the liner are covered by rock. The landing may extend for several course runs if desired to hide the liner or to create a larger or broader landing for the ducks to stand and rest. - 11
Spill pea gravel atop the rock-bottomed slope, if desired, to fill in gaps between the flat stones or to create a more naturalistic look. Rinse the pea gravel first before placing into the pond so it does not cloud the pond water.
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