Hurricane is No Match for New Jersey Pond Project

Text and photos by Atlantis Watergardens

In the horseshoe-shaped community of Quail Run in Randolph, N.J., sits the home of Larry and Joni Muse. Their professionally landscaped grounds featured mature specimen trees, manicured lawn areas, beautiful hardscapes and a leaky, nonfunctioning pond in need of a serious overhaul. They loved the idea that the pond was supposed to be a tranquil, cascading water feature nestled into their entertaining space, but the finished product did not live up to that dream.

before

after Click here for slideshow.

The pond lost several inches of water daily, the rock work had become disheveled and the overall structural integrity of the water garden had been compromised due to loose rocks settling and piercing holes in the liner. Joni initially contacted Jaak Harju from Atlantis Watergardens of Rockaway, N.J., about possibly repairing the existing water garden.

“I spent some time with Joni walking around the pond and waterfall, pointing out the various areas that had become compromised, but what we couldn’t see was the rest of the liner that was covered by the loose, shifting rock work,” Harju said.

The only positive way to identify all the problem areas was to remove all of the rock work in the waterfall. Harju proposed a complete rip-out and new installation.

“I was not comfortable doing patchwork on something that was in such disrepair," Harju said. "Any good pond contractor will tell you that as soon as you touch an existing water feature, you own it.”

Harju designed a water feature that would fit the grand scale of the existing surroundings. It included large character boulders, LED underwater lighting, fish caves, a constructed wetland filter, a wet well skimmer with pump vault and cascading waterfalls flowing more than 20,000 gallons per hour.

The project began with the removal of the existing water feature. It consisted of about 12 tons of boulders, a skimmer and waterfall filter, plumbing, liner and a concrete block wall that was used to shape the pond's interior walls. Harju brought in an 8-ton excavator to dig the new water garden and set the 30 tons of weathered limestone that was quarried and transported from the farmlands of Northern New Jersey and trucked into the site.

Three days into the project, the pond was excavated and lined and about 70 percent of the rock work was installed. Things were on-track for the estimated six-day completion window. Then Hurricane Irene hit.

“Working in the elements can be challenging, and projects do not always go as smoothly as one might hope,” Harju said. “In this case, we suffered the wrath of Hurricane Irene three days into the job and were dealt about 9 inches of rainfall in a single day. The torrent of water made its way under the pond liner and hydrostatic pressure caused the liner to lift about two feet vertical. The water was removed from under the liner via a bulkhead that was cut in (to be capped off after the water was removed and the liner was re-adjusted), and we were able to resume construction.”

The project ended up with a two-day overrun due to the hurricane, but it all came together according to the original plan. After the pond was completed, the crew built a custom gazebo with a 2-foot cantilever over one edge of the ponds’ surface, and they mounted LED lighting under the structure to give the illusion that it was floating in place. The transition into the entertaining space was complimented by lush terrestrial plantings and some large pieces of Indian Valley Steppers for an experience that brings visitors right up to the water's edge.

“Even in the adversity we faced with the difficult site access and the damaging hurricane, this project is definitely going in the books as one of my favorites to date,” Harju said. “The weathered limestone gave the entire space instant age, as if it always had been there, and the look on Larry and Joni’s faces when we fired up the pumps made this project well worth the challenge.”

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Hurricane is No Match for New Jersey Pond Project

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