One of the most versatile types of water feature is the waterfall. The versatility of a waterfall feature is that they can be made on either a small or grand scale. They can also, easily be made to replicate a natural feature or they can be entirely artistic and contemporary in design with no concession to appearing natural.
A waterfall design is fundamentally very simple. There are a minimum of two collecting ponds, typically the lower pond will be the main pond. Water is pumped to the higher collecting pond from the lower one and the water then flows from the top pool down the water course eventually returning to the lower pool.

Constructing the water course offers the same choices as creating the pond itself. Concrete, preformed or flexible liners are all available materials. One consideration when designing your waterfall is the reverse of excavating your pond. Rather than needing somewhere to home all the excavated soil, it is quite likely you will need to identify a source of building materials to build up the surrounds for the water course. Needless to say, if you are designing both a pond installation and a watercourse at the same time, there is a beneficial relationship here. Perhaps even, the waterfall could be an idea borne out of this need to identify a use for the excess soil.

When using a flexible liner or concrete to create a bespoke design it is wise to ensure that any pools along the water course slope backwards against the direction of flow. This will ensure that the pool does collect water. A poorly constructed pool may result in continuous flow rather than collection point.

One hugely important consideration is the size of the pump. Too small and your waterfall may prove to be a paltry trickle. It is suggested that for every centimetre width of a waterfall, a flow of 150 litres per hour is required.