Ok, I guess bottom drain it is. I realize it'd be better to put it in now
rather than after the fact so I will to allow for more flexibility in the
future although
I will "uuuuuuse the force" and resist the dark side and the lure of fish
other than the mosquito fish... at least not for a long while (famous last
words?). I was *thinking* I'd just dig a hole, cover with liner, decorate,
and fill with water and plants and BAM - water garden - and whatever wants
to live in there does so at it's own risk with whatever gunk is on the
bottom. Basically resembling the wetlands directly behind us that just
accumulate gunk w/o a bottom drain in those pools of water. But maybe the
wetlands have some sort of natural drain or process that serves the same
purpose as a bottom drain.

Here's another drain-like question: I was thinking I'd put some overflow
pipes at the side of the pond because we get so much rain in the winter that
I can just see this water garden turning into a big mess and having a mighty
soggy back yard. To keep the mosquito fish from being sucked out through
the overflow pipes I thought I'd cover the openings with some kind of mesh
screen or fabric. SO... I'll bury the pipes, ever so nicely, at whatever
level I don't want the pond to get any higher than. I'll have to stick them
through the liner (right?) and then seal the liner around them as well as
seal the mesh stuff to the pipes. Will the clear silicone sealant I've seen
referred to here do that trick?

I will record this new adventure and post the pics when we start. I had
said previously that I was going to wait until the outdoor outlet is in
before we start digging, but maybe we'll just start before then. I've never
been so anxious to dig a hole!


Thanks again
Lydia