Koi Pond – Getting the levels correct

At this point you would be well into the process of digging out the hole. You should now start thinking about leveling the area.

Setting up the levels – Determine the height you want the final water level of the pond to be then measure from that point.

Get a length of 2″ x 2″ timber at least 8 feet long, and drive this into the ground close to the outer limits of the foundation. Mark out the desired final water level. Then, mark the level of the top of the pond edging. Paint the area in between the two marks yellow (or any colour you prefer)

Now mark the level which represents the depth of the pond. Then mark below this the depths of the concrete foundations. Paint the area between these two marks another colour. You now have reference marks to dig out the hole.

Using a spirit level

  • Using a long spirit level and straight edge is ideal for setting up the general levels, but it is difficult to be completely accurate over a very large pond.
  • Another method is to do the following method which is used in the building industry quite a bit.

Put a container in one place, and connect it to a marked rule with silicon tubing. You can then take the rule around the excavation, and mark off the levels in line with the liquid in the tubing (it works like a geometric set compass)

You can easily make this yourself.

  • You can also use an airline tubing, which works like the above method with the liquid level. Mark off the levels on the uprights.

With both these case it is important to make sure there are no air bubbles in the tubing.

  • Laser level

You can now purchase a laser level at the home depot or a DIY shop.