Imagine taking a dip in a swimming pool with sparkling clean water devoid of harmful chemicals. The natural swimming pool also known as the natural swimming pond in Europe, is gaining in popularity and for good reason. It’s beautiful and environmentally friendly.
How the Natural Swimming Pool Works
The natural swimming pool does not use any chemicals. It utilizes aquatic plants and a filtration system to clean the water. The natural swimming pool is a mini ecosystem. The pool is composed of two separate but connecting areas; a swimming area and a regeneration area. The swimming area is used for swimming. The regeneration area is where the aquatic plants reside and clean the water. A filtration system is installed in the pool to capture large debris and circulate the water to and from the regeneration area. The filtration system can be run off of solar power to enhance the environmentally friendly appeal.
Source: Bright Hub
Natural Swimming Pools in South Africa
is to swim in them. Eco Pools™ are even better – they are cleaner (no mud on the bottom), safer (the water is absolutely pure) and since it is in the garden you don’t need a 4×4 to get there.Dr. Jerome Davis, whose company, aQua-design, creates Eco Pools™ explains that: “Natural pools work biologically instead of chemically. The plants in the ecosystem absorb whatever nutrients may be in the water and use it for their growth. This leaves nothing behind in the water for algae to live on. The plants also shade the water, sheltering zooplankton and other aquatic animal life that feed on algae and bacteria, stripping whatever nutrients or algae might remain. This leaves pure, clean water behind for swimming. The water is also highly oxygenated which controls mosquito larvae.”
The plants are contained in an aquatic garden, which is usually separated from the swimming area of the pool. The aqua garden can be constructed next to the pool or displayed as a water feature in another part of the garden and linked to the pool, either through underground pipes or a small stream. There is a wonderful diversity of indigenous wetland plants that are used for natural pools that we rarely see in our gardens. It is exciting to work with the unusual textures and foliage of wetland plants, most of which are powerful water cleansers.
Maintaining an Eco Pool™ is really just like maintaining a garden (as opposed to running a chemistry experiment). Aqua gardens need even less maintenance than terrestrial gardens: they don’t need weeding, watering, mowing, mulching or fertilizing. Pests are controlled by frogs and dragon flies. The leaf traps need to be cleared and dead leaves need to be pruned, but if you miss a month or two, the ecosystem will be strong enough to keep the water clear. Pruned water plant material makes excellent mulch and compost due to its high water and bacterial content.
The wetland will attract an incredible diversity of life: crabs, frogs, dragonflies, skaters, water beetles, shrimps, water birds, weavers, and many more. As opposed to a sterile blue chemical pool (surrounded with a barrier of paving to protect the surrounding plants from corrosive chemicals), Eco Pools™ integrate completely, becoming the living, pulsing heart of the garden, brimming with life. Although the water itself is completely clear, the pools reflect the surrounding vegetation as a very pale, translucent green with ever-changing hints of red, blue, gold and yellow. The water is infused with healthy energy and can be used for drinking or cooking. It is also slightly warmer due to solar heating in the shallow water of the aqua-garden.
Because the filtration process is slow and gentle, eco pools use very small pumps and therefore much less electricity than conventional pools.
The only problem with an Eco Pool™ is that once you have swum in one, it is impossible to swim in anything else.
Source: All About Building
[Original Source: http://www.naturalswimmingpools.co.za/]
Natural lake in Banhine National Park, Mozambique (lake floor bed could be clearly seen even at the deepest parts)
This is another example of how we can learn from Nature. I have swum in many crystal clear freshwater streams and lakes a nd sparkling mountain pools; in a pristine setting, Nature maintains those waters far better than we could with our chemicals and interfering ways. If you are thinking of having a natural pool in the Lowveld of South Africa, be prepared for an influx of frogs and toads during the summer. Breeding frogs can fill a conventional pool with eggs that clog up filter systems (their dead bodies from high chlorine exposure are also a problem). However, in a natural swimming pond the ecology is in balance- excess frog eggs will be preyed on by other pond inhabitants. It will require a shift in one’s idea of what a swimming pool should be like but it will be a step forward for sustainable living. If you have a conventional pool that you don’t intend converting, there are many ways of ensuring that it is more ec0-friendly; see Water Saving Tips for your Swimming Pool. Water Rhapsody’s Poolside Tank prevents unnecessary water wastage when you backwash your pool, see our product demo (scroll down and click on ‘The Water Rhapsody Poolside Tank).
25 comments
pharmacy technician
May 7, 2010 at 5:30 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Terrific work! This is the type of information that should be shared around the web. Shame on the search engines for not positioning this post higher!
Mervin Autio
June 14, 2010 at 11:34 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
This is a nice blog, Going On.
German Jons
June 16, 2010 at 1:59 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Howdy, your site is on air in the radio! Good job mate. Your posts are truly great and bookmarked. Regards
RC Airplane
June 16, 2010 at 8:23 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Hi buddy, your blog’s design is simple and clean and i like it. Your blog posts are superb. Please deep them coming. Greets!
fix rrod
June 17, 2010 at 10:46 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Appreciation for doing the post, 1 other issue. I’ve discover your comment manager is getting challenges, have you fixed it??
repair guide
June 18, 2010 at 12:08 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
I Couldn’t get this facts anyplace else on the The web, appreciation so a lot for putting up it.
Carolin Bayala
June 19, 2010 at 3:41 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Great blog post.Really looking forward to read more.
Robbie Schoborg
June 21, 2010 at 2:33 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
you have a good taste.
estetik
June 23, 2010 at 5:20 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Nice Post. It’s really very good article. I am really apreciated to share it with us. Thanks!!
Celia Acres
June 24, 2010 at 4:17 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Totally awesome….i am still amazed at the great info i come accross on the web….this is very helpfull…thanks
göğüs estetiği
June 24, 2010 at 1:22 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Nice Post. It’s really very good article. I am really apreciated to share it with us. Thanks!!
xbox console
June 24, 2010 at 8:11 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Fascinating phase of view on the subject matter, in no way imagined I’d acknowledge… But I do!! Many thanks again for the remarkable material – Normally the most beneficial, Joe.
FC Chelsea
June 27, 2010 at 6:59 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Good share, great article, very usefull for us…thanks.
thailand travel
June 27, 2010 at 6:00 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
thanks for sharing.
Antone Colpetzer
June 29, 2010 at 2:47 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Keep working ,great job!
gw9200
June 30, 2010 at 7:51 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
I already knew about most of this, but even so, I still found it informative. Nice job!
Gregory Campos
June 30, 2010 at 10:40 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Was an interesting article, thank you..
Amira Vallerand
July 6, 2010 at 1:01 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
This information is actually useful and certainly is Comment-Worthy! Hope you wouldnt mind if I use some of the info on my personal blog? Regards.
Mayuresh Wani
July 7, 2010 at 9:30 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
natural swimming pool are very amazing. thanks a lot for publish that post.
Pool Lover
July 9, 2010 at 9:50 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
I hope you can help me. I emptied my above-ground pool and the liner shrunk. How do I get the liner to stretch again? Do I have to buy a new one? They are pretty expensive.
ugg boot uk
July 15, 2010 at 3:58 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
I just stumbled on your blog when i was lookng on google. I have to say that the information here was the most complet that I found anywhere. I am definitly bookmarkin this to come bck and read later
kampanie AdWords
July 20, 2010 at 7:42 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Great text and nice blog.
Jovan Awtry
August 2, 2010 at 6:59 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Informative blog with good useful information.
home study
August 4, 2010 at 2:49 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
I love it,Excellent article.I am decide to put this into use one of these days.Thank you for sharing this.To Your Success!
Alisha Venturella
August 6, 2010 at 7:25 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
It was good to see your post. It’s such an vital matter and ignored by so many, even professionals. I thank you to help making folks more conscious of possible issues. Nice stuff as usual… Thanks