Waterfalls are famous for their soothing qualities, as well as their impressive natural beauty. Both are qualities that more and more people seem to crave in today's stressful and increasingly crass world. Running water has been used for centuries throughout many civilizations to create an aesthetically pleasing environment. Investigate the fountains of various civilizations throughout history--Greece, Japan, Egypt, the pre-Columbian Aztecs and Mayans--and you will see the universal importance of water to humankind throughout the ages.

However, waterfalls can also serve other, less obvious purposes. For instance, they can be wonderful sources for white noise. White noise is sound that is constant but indistinct. Because of these qualities, the human ear quickly grows accustomed to white noise, and it becomes unnoticeable within a short amount of time. White noise is an ingenious way to cover up other noises that are more distracting or irritating, such as loud music, arguing voices, or beeping horns.

White Noise Waterfalls

For people who live next to noisy neighbors or a roaring highway, this is an important tool indeed. In fact, many people have actually installed waterfalls in their backyards for precisely this purpose. The soothing splashes and trickles of a waterfall can beautifully cover up loud noises that were once oppressive. Not only is the noise problem solved, but also, in the case of annoying neighbors, confrontations may sometimes be avoided.

Nothing can solve fundamental problems related to bad-mannered neighbors or the location of your home. However, it is true that big problems often have their origins in small ones that have no apparent solutions. Adding a waterfall to your landscaping scheme--or, as many people have started to do, to your swimming pool--is a positive solution to a very basic but often intractable problem.