Ross NW Watergardens drained the existing pond in this city park in Hillsboro, Ore., dredged out the sludge, deepened the pond, built an island using the dirt they had dug out, and installed a custom-made polypropylene liner from BTL in Bend, Ore. Avison basalt, a locally quarried stone, was installed as veneer on the Pavilion's support. Larger pieces of the stone were used to build the seatwalls and adjacent dry-stack walls. A secondary patio was built using crushed basalt gravel. The landscape contractor also created a series of steps that lead to an existing pathway system. The steps' risers are stones from the local quarry.

The existing waterfalls were dismantled and the rocks set aside for the rebuild. A new liner was put in and carried back about 15 feet to overlap with the old liner. Custom-made braided metal cables were used to precision-set the rocks. This method let the landscapers place them exactly where they wanted them. It also prevented the rocks from getting scarred. The water flows in naturally from an upper reservoir.

Rood Bridge Park in the city of Hillsboro, Ore., is known for its streams with waterfalls that run in and out of a pond surrounded by over 60 acres of woods and meadows. When the city decided the water features were choking and needed new life breathed into them, they contracted with Ross NW Watergardens.

The landscape contractor completely drained the old pond and dredged all of the sludge out. Ben Bowen, the company's landscape manager, says there was so much silt that one could almost walk across the pond. They used the excess soil to create an island where native plants now grow. A new liner was then installed.

The two original waterfalls that spill into the pond were functioning poorly and needed to be entirely dismantled and refashioned by the Portland-based landscapers. In addition, they rebuilt the pond's outlet.

A pavilion was constructed by another contractor but the landscape company installed all of the stonework for it, which included the veneer on the pavilion's support, the seatwalls and dry-stack walls under it. They also created a secondary patio from crushed gravel, as well as steps leading to the existing gravel pathways.

One of the most interesting aspects of the project, according to Bowen, is that no electrical or plumbing work was necessary on his part. The city of Hillsboro has a large pump that draws water out of a river and into an upper reservoir that then feeds the falls and the pond, and now thanks to Ross NW Watergardens, all is flowing well.