Here is an image of what I'm proposing. This doesn't provide guidance to how the liner should be hidden. (Houzz won't seem to let me insert a link, credit goes to:http://www.worldofwater.co.uk/product_images/uploaded_images/formal2.gif)

I hope others reply - I built mine very similar - shelf, straight sides. Where the liner shows above the water is more annoying than you might think... even with the rock overhang. Especially when water drops due to evaporation or whatever. If I had it to do over, I would have the liner go around the top shelf rock instead of over it (ie rock goes in the water instead of the dirt - black foam around sides and back of the rock.) Or maybe have two rocks instead of one - bottom rock in the dirt, top rock in the water. Where are you located? Footings ideally go below frost line - or just be prepared to readjust rocks every now and then, may not be a big deal.

Thanks. Would you recommend something like this? Do you need to cover the liner more than the top 8-12"?

Regarding the footers, I am in Z6, the frost line is 40 inches. This seems ludicrously deep for footers if my wall is just ~8" on grade, perhaps a bit more depending on where I start the wall. It seems like dry stack manufacturers say you can get away with just a leveled sand base; do you think I would be OK building on a concrete footer on gravel? I'm building this next to my slab-on-grade patio, which has shown no signs of winter distress. Or am I just deluding myself that deep footers are only needed for tall structures?

Our walls inside the pond are straight, actually they're shelves with plants and rocks. We dressed the top with rocks.

A try at posting a pic and you tube link.

Here is a link to one of our many pond videos.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=related&v=B0_Lc7D_D6U

Here is a favorite video of mine...all the plants and flowers cascade over

the pond rocks lining the pond. Enjoy.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qj-ngxuAPPs

Thx cliff and joann - how are those plants planted - in gravel or what? just stuck into the water? One problem Ive had with extending rocks further down into the water even though it looks better it seems water that gets behind the rocks sometimes starts to stink, probably because its not circulating so much back there? Stinky water = bad bacteria, no? Ive not had much luck with plants - marsh marigold, water cress etc. They don't do well and when I remove the pots from the water the soggy soil has that same bad smell. I assume Im getting enough nitrate from the fish poop because the string algae does OK

kasha, the shelves are all around the pond.

they are about 15" deep and 12" wide. They are just dug out and covered

with liner. the rocks are piled on top all the way up, then extended onto

the ground. The plants are both planted in pots and planted by just tucked

behind the rocks in bare root.

Each spring we just hose the rocks to remove any muck build up behind

them. The rest of the season we just leave them in tact, except for our

beach area which we hose every few weeks or so.

An attempt at posting a video directly.

Thanks - very helpful! Cant wait for it to be spring so I can get out there and re-do my edges. The video gives one hope that someday it may be spring again!

I keep a ledge inside the liner that I build up with field stone and mortar (supported every three courses with that small netted like grating to keep the coping from breaking up around the pond. There is a world of difference with seeing stone at (and under about 6 inches) waters edge instead of the black liner. the nice thing about stone (vs. brick) is that is shouldn't look even...but more natural. Here is an example: