Pond and Water Feature Repair in Des Moines and Central Iowa

Central Iowa winters are hard on water features. The ground freezes, thaws, and freezes again, and every cycle moves things. Rocks and boulders shift and settle, sometimes pulling the liner edge down below the waterline so the pond leaks all spring. Plumbing fittings loosen or crack when water trapped in a line freezes. A pump left running without enough water can burn out or split its housing when ice forms.

Waterfalls and streams take a beating too, since ice expands in every gap between stones. By the time Des Moines, Ames, and Ankeny thaw out in March, we see the same handful of problems across the region, and most of them trace back to winter. A proper fall shutdown and a spring checkup head off the worst of it, which is why so many repair visits pair naturally with our cleaning services.

Most ponds can be repaired, and repair is usually the right call. A leak, a tired pump, or a struggling filter is a fixable problem, and fixing it costs a fraction of starting over. We will always tell you honestly when that is the answer.

A renovation makes more sense when the liner is failing in many places, when the pond's original design keeps causing the same trouble, or when you simply want a very different look or a lower workload. Some owners choose to convert a high-maintenance pond into a pondless waterfall and never look back. After we see the pond you get a straight recommendation either way, with prices for both paths so you can decide with real numbers. You can also price out your options any time.

If water runs through it, we work on it. That covers liner leaks and punctures, from patching a single hole to relining a pond; pumps and plumbing, including submersible and external pump replacement and re-plumbing leaky connections; failing waterfalls and streams that leak, clog, or have lost their shape; and filtration, from cleaning and repairs to full biofalls upgrades.

We also repair and replace skimmers and intakes, which quietly cause a large share of the water loss and pump damage we see, and we re-rock ponds whose stones have shifted, settled, or pulled the liner down. Whether your feature is in Johnston, Indianola, West Des Moines, or anywhere in Central Iowa, the visit starts with an inspection and ends with a clear explanation before we touch anything.

In Des Moines, the Pondless Waterfall project took a problem pond and turned it into a low-maintenance waterfall the owners simply enjoy, proof that the best repair is sometimes a smart conversion.

Transforming Outdoor Spaces tells the story of a pond that had not been cleaned in ten years and came back to life with a full restoration. If your pond has been neglected for a season or a decade, it can almost always be brought back.