Will this Idea Hold Water

Here you see the liner still folded in half. This 85 pound piece of rubber is 14' wide by 20 feet long. The size you order is determined by taking twice the deepest part of the pond and adding it to the longest part of the pond plus 2' for the length. The width is twice the deepest part of the pond plus the widest plus 2 feet. This particular roll came in 20 foot width so I worked it from there.

All the level surfaces need to be covered to prevent rocks from working their way up and through the liner causing a leak. Normally a good 2 to 3 inches of sand is used for this. Well a 50 foot square are of sand 3" deep weighs a ton or more. I decide I have enough rock to move later and went with a fabric pond underlayment and a carpet pad. Yup!, a carpet pad.

Putting the liner evenly over the hole is important, you also want to avoid having it drag the surround rocks under it self. Once in place put some small stones around to hold it down while you let it fill with water. This is also the time you try folding and pleating to minimize the excess liner on the sharp turns. Will you get it smooth all around..no. Don't worry after it fills and grows over these creases and flaps give the pond character. Well that's how I convinced myself that this is good enough.