Backyard koi pond with a natural stone waterfall surrounded by plants

Pond, waterfall and water feature repair

Koi ponds, goldfish ponds, pondless waterfalls and streams that are leaking, green, smelly or not flowing right. Find the cause, get a written price, then fix it.

Updated November 2026

Free written estimates
Upfront pricing
Fountains, ponds and waterfalls
Homes, HOAs and businesses

Ponds and water features we work on

Backyard ponds and waterfalls are the best-looking features in a lot of Woodlands yards, and the hardest to keep healthy. A pond is a living system: fish, plants, bacteria and a pump that all have to stay in balance. When one slips, you get green water, a smell, sick fish or a waterfall that goes quiet. The repair has to cover the whole system, including what's under the water.

That covers koi and goldfish ponds, preformed and liner ponds, pondless waterfalls, streams and disappearing features, along with the pumps, skimmers, biological filters, UV clarifiers, plumbing and lighting behind them. A pond installed last year and one installed twenty years ago get the same first step: test the pump, the plumbing and the water level. Fountains have their own page, outdoor fountain repair.

Couple kneeling at the edge of a clear backyard koi pond feeding orange and white koi

Leaks and water loss

A dropping water level is the most common pond complaint. The hole is rarely in the middle of the liner. More often the edge has a low spot where soil settled, a waterfall or stream is splashing water out, or a plumbing fitting is loose. Tree roots and burrowing animals cause their share. Finding the source is most of the job.

We test in sections to narrow it down, then repair it the right way. That might mean raising a low edge, resealing a waterfall, patching or replacing liner, or redoing a plumbing connection. You'll know what was found and what it costs before repairs begin.

Green water, algae and smell

Summers here are long, hot and sunny, which is ideal for algae. Pine pollen and fallen leaves add nutrients every year, so a pond that looked great in March can be pea soup by June. Treating the water alone almost never lasts.

The fix goes after the cause: clean out the muck and rotting leaves, check that the filter and pump are sized for the pond, and add or repair a UV clarifier. Feeding the fish less, adding plants and shading part of the surface keeps the water clear between visits.

Pumps, filters and waterfalls

Pondless waterfall flowing over stacked boulders into a gravel basin

When a waterfall slows to a trickle, suspect the pump and filter first. Skimmer baskets and filter media clog with leaves and pollen, and a pump that runs every day wears out in a few years. A pump working too hard also costs more to run. A thorough cleaning sometimes brings the flow back, and sometimes the pump has to go. The pump repair page explains how that call gets made.

Skimmers and biofilters get cleaned and repaired, worn pumps get replaced with properly sized ones, and waterfalls that shifted or started leaking get rebuilt. If your pond needs better circulation or filtration than it was built with, you'll see the options and a price for each.

Pond clean-outs

Technician cleaning leaves and sludge from a drained garden pond

A full clean-out resets the pond. It gets drained, the fish go into aerated holding tanks, the sludge and leaf muck come out and the rocks and gravel get rinsed. Filters and pump are cleaned, the pond is refilled with treated water, and the fish go back slowly so they can adjust. Most residential ponds take a day.

Early spring is the best time, before the pollen and the heat. A single cleaning visit typically runs $250 to $450, and a full annual clean-out of a larger pond usually runs $800 to $1,200. Size, depth, fish count and access change the number, and you'll have it in writing first. The cost guide has the rest, and the fountain troubleshooter covers quick checks before you call.

Questions about pond and waterfall repair

Why is my pond water green?

Green water is a bloom of free-floating algae, and it's almost always caused by too many nutrients and too much sun. Fish waste, decaying leaves, overfeeding and an undersized or dirty filter all feed it. The fix is usually a combination of a proper clean-out, a correctly sized filter and UV clarifier, more plant cover and feeding less. Dumping in chemicals alone tends to bring it right back.

How do I know if my pond is leaking?

Fill it to a marked level, turn off the pump and wait 24 hours. If the level holds with the pump off but drops with it on, the leak is in the waterfall, stream or plumbing. If it drops either way, the liner itself likely has a hole or a low edge. Normal summer evaporation here can be an inch or two a week, so a fast or sudden drop is the real warning sign.

Do I need to remove my fish during a pond clean-out?

For a full clean-out, yes. We move the fish into aerated holding tanks with their own pond water, clean the pond, then refill it with treated water and acclimate them back slowly. For a lighter maintenance visit, the fish usually stay put. Either way, protecting the fish is part of the job.

How often should a pond be cleaned?

Most ponds in our area do best with a full clean-out once a year, usually in early spring before the pollen and summer heat hit. Many owners add a few maintenance visits during the year to clear filters and trim plants. Heavy leaf drop or a lot of fish can mean more frequent service.