How to Remove a Garden Pond

While garden ponds are popular and pleasant, sometimes you need to remove one due to damage or design. If you need to remove a garden pond, you need a lot of manpower, but not much finesse. Depending on the materials used, it can take less than a day to get rid of a water garden.

Detach all electrical equipment such as filters, pond pumps, fountains, skimmers and lights before beginning the removal process. Take out any external hardware such as pond pumps and filters, which were housed in cases or boxes outside the pond itself.

Place one end of a garden hose or similar tube into the pond and stretch the other out across your yard, preferably on a downward slope for gravity to help with the drainage process. Begin a flow of water out of the pond by sucking on the end of the hose like a giant straw until the water comes through. Do not swallow the water. Let the hose remain to siphon off the bulk of the water in the pond.

Remove all rocks or paving stones from the outside edge of the garden pond. If the pond is made of concrete, use a pick axe, heavy maul or electrical equipment such as a mini-jackhammer or large masonry drill to break up the concrete surrounding the old garden pond. Set the stones aside for other landscaping projects and save the concrete to help fill the pond hole at the end of the process.

Take out all formerly submerged filters, pumps and hardware. Remove stones or other underwater decorations you used in the pond. Clean these well and they can be reused or sold after you finish removing the garden pond from your property.

Remove the garden pond liner once enough water is siphoned off to lift it out of the hole. If you don't want to sell or reuse the liner, use a sharp tool to punch holes through it to facilitate quicker water drainage. For a concrete-form pond, simply continue to break all the material up into manageable chunks.

Review local ordinances in your township or city about filling holes with construction debris. It is illegal in some areas. If legal, dump the broken concrete into the bottom of the hole to begin the filling process. Acquire clean fill from a retail source or by advertising for it in the local paper. Many contractors have fill dirt to dispose of and you can get it cheap.

Fill the garden pond hole completely with dirt. Use a hard-headed garden rake to smooth the dirt out and create the proper grade that matches the rest of your yard. Wait a couple of days, water the area well or tamp down the dirt to prevent future settling of the ground. Add more dirt as needed. Plant grass seed to complete the removal of a garden pond.