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1308c NW Vivion Rd
Kansas City, MO 64118
January 22, 2019
Falling for falling water
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Last October, Northland Neighbors magazine featured a cover story with the Young family standing in front of the iconic Riverside Waterfall. It’s a popular destination for taking photos and walking along the Briarcliff Trail – thousands of people admire this magnificent attraction every year. While the waterfall will always be the icon of Riverside, there’s a new cascading waterfall right around the corner.
New waterfall in Kansas City
The team at Good Earth Water Gardens recently constructed a series of waterfalls in the median of one of Riverside’s newest subdivisions, The Palisades . Developers John and David Barth have created a spectacular neighborhood with breathtaking skyline views.
David reached out to Good Earth Water Gardens after he’d seen one of our articles in Northland Neighbors. Many developers are reluctant to install water features. But the beauty of moving water is a signature touch in many Barth developments.
After discussing Dave’s vision, we developed a list of expectations – and a list of challenges. He wanted to use large boulders, some weighing more than 6,000 pounds. But he still wanted the waterfalls to be visible from the road. Dave also wanted the stream to curve and turn, but the median is only 25 feet wide. The feature also had to be low maintenance and run during the winter.
A challenging water feature project
We were excited to take this challenge and run with it. After some brainstorming, the Good Earth Water Gardens team came up with a plan that met these standards. Here’s what we did:
- Used a variety of large boulders for framing rocks and waterfalls, along with thinner flat stones so the view was available from the street.
- Created waterfalls that cascaded at different angles to give the illusion that the stream wasn’t rolling straight down the hill.
- Designed underground reservoirs to hold thousands of gallons of water. This keeps enough water flowing during times of icy temperatures.
- Installed wetland filtration to keep the water clear and healthy using natural biological activity.
During construction, we faced some obstacles. The cold snap and snow in early November were a surprise. Although we welcomed warmer temperatures, they also created lots of mud. This slowed our progress. Then, we hit solid bedrock at the bottom of one of the reservoirs. This required jack-hammering and sawing to get to the required depth. And then there was a big leak behind one of the largest boulders. But we powered through, keeping our eyes on the water feature prize.
The finished waterfall
Finally, in early January the waterfalls in the median were complete. But we weren’t done yet! We installed a series of fountains towards the back entrance of The Palisades. We also added another fountain feature in a cul-de-sac at Thousand Oaks.
These big commercial features are exciting. But Good Earth Water Gardens enjoys working with individual homeowners, too. Whether it’s installing a small entry fountain, creating a backyard pond oasis, or building an impressive waterfall for an entire neighborhood, we’re passionate about water features. The sights and sounds of water bring beauty and relaxation to any environment.
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