Landscape Design and Construction By Russ Swalberg
Creating the Sustainable Water Feature
with multiple streams. Regardless of size, however, the main goal is to create a feature that can mimic what occurs naturally. Having a passion for the outdoors, I often find myself analyzing small streams and rivers to see how they naturally flow, and what it is that creates the intrigue and mystery that causes us to stop and stare at falling water. Creating a sustainable water feature — and one that will fit within the scope and scale of the client's needs and wants — should be first and foremost when dis- cussing the installation of a feature; things like how much time the client is willing to spend on maintain- ing the water feature and also the space required to im- plement a feature. It is tempting to upsell a huge feature to a client but at the end of the day, if they are not able or willing to maintain the feature, you will likely get calls back to deal with issues that arise due to neglect of the feature. Being honest with the client re- garding what is involved in the feature will allow you to take the role as the client's advocate. When determining the location of the water feature,
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you must look for the location that will allow the client the best view. You will also need to consider how any hardscape or softscape elements will interact with the feature. Also, determine if the site has a natural slope or if you need to artificially create one. I have seen features installed where the water flows away from the area that is viewable, making the most enjoyable element of the feature (the falls) not viewable. Look for the locations to which water would naturally flow or determine how changing the site would affect that, and consider that in the design of the feature. When creating a natural water features, negative
space is your friend. When you look at natural streams and waterfalls, when the water falls it usually will erode the soil under the rock it is falling over, creating a nat- ural void. Utilizing this concept in your features can be a challenge to the construct, but if done correctly gives and amazing effect. Having negative space allows you
20 Landscape and Irrigation July/August 2012 www.landscapeirrigation.com
Photos on this page provided by Bjorn L. Nordquist, Landscape East & West
ithin the landscape industry there are a myriad of methods of installing natural water features. They can range from a simple bubbling rock to a large pond
