A Panorama of Waterfalls, Lakes & Streams

Villa Curva del Fiume

By Leslie McGuire, regional editor

1,150 tons of natural rock, 210 cubic yards of concrete, plus ingenuity and design expertise went into this award-winning aquascape on an 80-acre estate in Woodbridge, California. The main moss rock came from Yosemite. Pinnacle rock was used at the back of the fall for layered depth, and a balanced variety of river run, moss rock, and cobble were used to create the island and walls of the stream.

Located in the San Joaquin valley and surrounded by vineyards and farmland, Villa Curva del Fiume is now an oasis of spectacular boulder strewn waterfalls, lakes and streams.

So natural is the design and so seamless the execution, the two new lakes, three new waterfalls and two new streams look as if they?EUR??,,????'?????<

Fed by two 15-inch lines, 3,000 gallons of water per minute pours over the lip of the highest pool. The depth of the water at this point is only 3 1/2-inches, then it cascades down five-feet to a second, four-and-one-half foot deep pool.

The largest of the falls required 550 tons of natural rock, over 100 cubic yards of concrete, and took 11 weeks to complete. There are three different pools, two streams and a total of 12 springs coming through the moss rock sidewalls. The uppermost pool is six-feet deep with a five-foot drop into the second pool. This was a technical challenge because the site had to be constructed over a man-made hill with a railroad tunnel running underneath. The key to creating this very natural looking waterfall was to make the water ?EUR??,,????'?????<

A Man-Made Island

An arrangement of rocks and boulders catches the water as it spills out of the second pool and over the next lip into babbling streams below. The two streams not only add interest, they keep the water moving fast enough to sparkle and dance. Building an island of moss rocks in the center of what would have been a third shallow pool separates the water into two fast moving streams, narrowing the space through which the water passes and forcing it to pick up speed. The water for this three-part succession of falls comes in through a 20-inch line filling a vault 12 feet deep. The vault houses a 10 hp submersible pump that sends the water through two 15-inch feeder lines to the upper pool. A 32-foot bridge was constructed to cross over the streams as they converge and spill into the lake. The bridge is seven feet wide, easily accommodating golf carts.

The five-acre, man-made lake, to which both these waterfalls are connected, is 15-feet deep and lined with clay. It is also the correct depth to be stocked with fish. The plantings surrounding the waterfall include spruce, Japanese maple and redwood.

The 12 springs spilling through interstices in the boulder walls and into the streams have a separate water source. These are fed by well water off a pump. Engineered to trickle over the walls of moss rock on either side of the streams, they add to the movement and create smaller, delicate waterfalls. The well water ensures that the lower pool will always be crystal clear.

The lip is within 1/8-inch of level across the 60-foot wide face of this waterfall. Using laser leveled concrete rather than jagged rock, gave the designers the ability to control 3,000 gallons of water per minute that cascades down to the second pool. The plantings are a mixture of Japanese maple, bloodgood, aptos blue, redwood, spruce and birch along with liquid amber. They add color and complement the raw power of the boulders.

Five different rock sources, including rock from the local hills, were used to make the whole design look natural. Because of the huge volume of natural rocks needed, they had to be purchased directly from the quarries. The largest boulder used in this particular waterfall weighed 18,000 pounds. Fortunately, a Caterpillar loader was capable of moving and placing it. This rock is not, however, the largest on the estate. The largest weighs 23,000 pounds and required a Cat loader and Cat excavator to place it correctly.

Niagara Falls in the Back Yard

This second waterfall, also feeding into the lake, is 12-feet high and 60-feet across. This design used greenstone paving stones and boulders?EUR??,,????'?????<

Using a 45-mil rubber liner underneath a 4-inch concrete base, this dual construction completely controls leaks. The smallest of the three lakes, this one is only 18-inches deep and about 50-feet wide by 65-feet long.

Powering this waterfall is a 12-foot deep vault fed by a 20-inch line housing another 10 hp submersible pump. However, in this case, because of the extraordinary width of this fall, a total of four 12-inch lines were needed to feed different parts of the upper pool to maintain a constant, even flow of water over the lip. The lower pool into which it flows is actually a finger-like extension of the lake about two-feet deep. This waterfall also took 11 weeks to complete from start to finish.

A Five-Acre Lake Stocked With Fish

For fish to survive, the lakebed had to be designed and graded with a Bobcat grader to allow for spawning areas. Goddard has the experience to create trophy bass lakes one of which is currently under construction in Acampo, California. This kind of knowledge is imperative when creating a functionally natural lake that can support wildlife. Four aerators mounted in the lakebed maintain a healthy level of oxygen and keep the water environment clear and nutrient free. The only aquatic plants in the lake are naturally occurring cattails. Greenstone blocks and honeysuckle plantings were used as edging.

A Very Small, Small Town

The third water feature at Villa Curva del Fiume is a miniature lake and waterfall that required 200 tons of rock, and 40 cubic yards of concrete. An eight-by-eight-foot top pool, three-feet deep, spills water at the rate of 250 gallons per minute over a series of ledges. The water becomes a quickly flowing, 35-foot cascade down to the shallow, 18-inch deep lake.

Surrounding the small lake is a tiny working watermill, a replica of a mine entrance, a replica of the main house, a train station, a gas station, a small cabin, and a tiny downtown?EUR??,,????'?????<

At the left you can see a miniature red schoolhouse. This is just one building in what is planned to be a little community built to 1/4 scale. Notice the dwarf Alberta spruce trees, chosen because they are in scale with the rest of the little village and the locomotive. The small railroad will travel the grounds one-and-one-half miles of train track.

GCS?EUR??,,????'?????<

Goddard Construction Services managed all aspects of this massive project, with the exception of the estate?EUR??,,????'?????<