I have never felt that Chance walked on water, even though the movie teases that possibility. What we see is Chance walk out on to a pond unfazed, sort of bemusedly looking around, and then dipping his umbrella in the water to see how deep it is (quite deep indeed).
But consider: All of what Chauncey is is what others perceive him to be. By contrast, Chance, the simple gardener, before he's been grabbed by the political machine, is only what he is.
So, I've always thought that the point of showing him "walk on water" was to give the audience a chance to fill in their own mystical interpretation. A tweak on the audience's nose by Hal Ashby and Jerry Kosinski. And a tongue-in-cheek reference to the similarities between Chance and Jesus, the latter also being given answering questions by saying "consider the lilies" and what-not.
Kosinski also wrote the book, and it is of no help: The scene does not appear, and Kosinski closes the book by saying Chance has no thoughts to trouble him.
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