By: Demi Fortuna & Caitlyn Winkle

Have you been wavering on whether or not to have a water feature installed? We know it’s a big decision and many factors go into making this decision. As Halloween rolls in this week, we wanted to take the fright out of water feature installation and debunk 5 scares of the water feature world!

Leaks

Leaks are an enormous concern for people who are building their first water feature, but they can rest easy. EPDM rubber and PVC liners are super strong, and very easy to work with. A couple of quick guidelines will allay any fears about liner punctures. Always use a protective layer of underlayment to keep the liner from getting punctured. It will guard against tree roots, sharp stuff underneath the liner, and even critters.

The other common way that water features leak are at the edges of waterfalls. These are very easy to detect and correct. First, to be sure water loss is coming from the stream or waterfall area, turn off the pump and see if the water still leaks down in the reservoir. if the water is stable when the pump is off, the leak’s in the waterfall. Looking for a wet spot along the edge after a couple of dry days will usually reveal the problem, which is almost always at the edge of a waterfall. In the vast majority of cases, it’s just the liner has slipped down from the force of the water and can easily be fixed.

Algae

Many people are concerned about the appearance of algae in their water features. Algae is actually a sign that the water feature is healthy. A little green fur on the sides helps keep the water clean. An excess of algae is not healthy but it is easily dealt with. Because algae growth is a sign of high nutrient levels, the easiest way to control algae in a fish pond is to cut back on the amount of food that you’re feeding your fish. In other water features, the installation of an ionizer that puts a tiny amount of ionized copper into the water will completely control algae in your water feature.

Critters

Many folks are concerned about the animals that come to a pond or water feature. Most of the time, this is a great Boon to the natural community in the area. Especially in the wintertime, sources of open water are scarce and animals have a hard time finding enough to drink. A pond or water feature that’s running in the winter is a welcome resource. Some folks worry about mosquitoes in ponds, but in a typical fish pond, mosquitoes can’t survive the hungry fish. Mosquito larvae are much more likely to come from the stagnant rainwater in an old tire than any fish pond.

Accidents

The idea that ponds and water features can be dangerous stems from an older method of constructing ponds in the shape of bowls. Slippery, sloped sides made getting in and out of this style of ponds difficult. It was easy to slip and injure oneself. Modern construction techniques advise building ponds with steps and flat platforms better making them easy to enter and exit safely. For the ultimate and safest option, Pond-free waterfalls and streams have no open water to fall into. All the water is recirculated out of a closed underground basin, limiting maintenance and chance of injury.

Maintenance

Some potential pond owners are deterred by the thought of the maintenance of a water feature. They may have heard about a poorly designed feature that was difficult to keep clean or looking good. A properly designed water feature requires very little maintenance. Fish ponds that have a balance of plants bacteria and animals require minimal maintenance. Hardscape water features with filtered or screened reservoirs require even less. When the feature is properly designed with the right equipment, maintenance takes no more than a few minutes a week, with a clean up no more than once a year.

Atlantic Water Gardens and OASE Living Water are pleased to announce an important milestone in the American water gardening market. Atlantic–OASE will be moving to a much larger location in Aurora, Ohio, seven miles from the current Atlantic headquarters in Mantua. The new 170,000 square foot warehouse provides the ample space needed for the production, storage, organization and shipping of all Atlantic and OASE products, from raw materials to finished goods, to the entire hemisphere.

State-of-the-art SAP integration and inventory tracking will help us improve efficiency and streamline operations, ensuring that goods, materials and products flow effortlessly to our customers. Atlantic and OASE expect to capitalize on the efficiency of having all brands in one warehouse, ready to produce, pack and ship worldwide. We’re also excited about the opportunity to implement up to date, cutting-edge infrastructure and technology right from the start, no retro fitting or compromising required. 

Over 15,000 square feet of offices, conference rooms and storage spaces, along with showrooms for immediate hands-on access to all products, will optimize day-to-day business. Multiple media rooms and a lecture center will handle small and large group interactions, while a sound room and video studio will accommodate in-house advertising, marketing and video production.  

Aurora will also house the new Training Center, including a 3,750 square foot indoor area with 30-foot ceilings already affectionately nick-named the SandBox. Instructors and contractors will be able to build entire hardscapes, dig and install every type of water feature and demonstrate lighting techniques year-round, immediately adjacent to a fully equipped classroom. Outside, there are multiple berms and hollows perfect for outdoor features training, as well as a large patio for warm weather seating. 

Make sure you follow our social media for updates on our big move!

The season is upon us on Long Island. It’s getting warmer, the bulbs that we usually see in late March or April have actually bloomed – finally! Water temps are up and the koi are feeding again. Spring is springing all over, and that means…

We’re starting to think about the next APC Day! Our Atlantic Professional Conference happens after Labor Day, but we start putting things together now. We have to. It takes a lot of planning to pull off. A hundred or so Contractors and Distributors from multiple countries are going to show up for a couple of days of camaraderie, networking and fun, and we don’t want to disappoint.

Two years ago, we hosted attendees to cocktails and dinner riverside, at the Music Box Supper Club, alongside the big ships slowly making their way to Cleveland’s deep water port. Last year we had the Cleveland Aquarium to ourselves, watching the sharks gliding overhead as we walked through the glass tunnel. (Was it just me, or did anyone else notice the fish glaring at us while we ate shrimp cocktails in front of them?) Regardless of the irony, what a great place to have a conference of water feature builders!

Of course, we always include a night at an amazing local gem, hidden away in plain sight – the Pine Lake Trout Club. There’s something magical about the rustic Lodge and cabins, hidden away in the piney woods apparently miles from anywhere. For me, it’s all about strolling along the streams and waterfalls on a late summer evening, as the trout rise and dimple the glassy surface, enjoying the company and conversation of some of the world’s best pond and water feature builders. Dain’t much betta.

This year we have a full lineup of seminars, presentations and live demonstrations planned while the sun is up – marketing, social media, coaching, water feature tech info, even a rodeo or two. Yes, rodeo. You know, when you put the beasties through their paces. ‘Nuff said on that topic, don’t wanna spoil the surprise.

And I’m not going to tell you where we’ll be going this year. I’m not letting that cat out of the bag – yet. You’ll have to keep checking back, or better yet – REGISTER NOW. Registration just opened, attendance is limited and we always fill up way before the cutoff in July. Take my word for it, you won’t be disappointed.

Visit: https://www.atlanticwatergardens.com/apc-day to register!

“Where in the world is Demi Fortuna???” With these oft-repeated words the Chief, Jeff Weemhoff, begins the challenging and never-ending search for Fortuna’s whereabouts.

Reports indicate that early on the morning of February 15^th Fortuna furtively fled across the border at 2am, arriving at the base of operations that co-conspirator and partner in nefarious deeds Scooter Stevenson had prepared. The mission: they would demolish the top tiers of existing wall work, inserting Spouts and Spillways and then, in mere hours, rebuild the walls, newly retrofitted with water and light, at two iconic locations well-known to those familiar with such deeds. Day one saw the speedy and surreptitious insertion of Atlantic Wall Spouts fitted with Color Changing Spout Lights flanking a Spillway superior in Surrey.

At the same location, the fabled Jade Triplets of Barry now gurgled over a Fountain Basin, when previously they pined piteously in a pool of putrescence. Below on the slope, a Pond-free waterfall once again flowed to the amazement of contractors who had only recently been liberated from the plow. The snow plow, that is. After a few brief hours, their task was done. Water and Light had been added to the Hardscape, swiftly and silently. The contractors, impressed by profitable possibilities, applauded while Fortuna and Stevenson faded into the twilight.

The second day of demolition dawned dry, at a quiet nook once bereft of sound and movement. Soon sprung stately and sparkling a curved corner complete with three brass Spouts, to the Turkish Delight of two Ottoman Ambassadors Omar and Dogan and the lovely Lady of Landscape Dianne. In a mere 3 hours on the clock the curved corner had been crowned, complete, as the contractors contemplated the collection of copious coin. Then the deadly duo departed, depleted but delighted, Scooter scooting across the waves to his queenly island fortress, Fortuna to the fabled Rain City, carpeted with a copious cover of snow. With over a foot of frozen fallout, the greatest total since 1923, this normally wet wonderland was white and wintry, which only added charm to the frozen waterfalls and majestic redwoods of the VD Gardens. Where in the world was Demi Fortuna?