Natural Swimming PondNatural swimming ponds were all we had when I was a youngster. We swam in the lake near our house or we
had a swimming hole where all the kids congregated in the summer. It probably was near a river and we swung out on an old
tire on a rope to splash into the water. As we got older, we started swimming in swimming pools, usually at school, but maybe
in the back yard. They were rectangular, blue bottomed boxes and needed almost daily maintenance with chemicals. They were
then and still are unsightly blue boxes that cost lots of money to build and even more to maintain.
(Photo courtesy of http://www.gartenart.co.uk/)
Swimming pools are changing. We can now have natural swimming pools that use plant material for a filter and look like the pool was there, you fell in love with it and built a house just to be near it.
The natural swimming pool industry started years ago in Germany, Austria and Italy and migrated to the UK in about 1985. It is being done now in the US but with a wall built with wood separating the planting area from the swimming area and attached to the liner at the bottom. I prefer the European style because at no time is the liner penetrated and a liner is probably the weakest part of the entire system. Even at 40 mils thick, a rubber or EPDM liner can be penetrated if something sharp and heavy enough falls in it.
A natural swimming pool is just like a lake, but without the pollution we find in our public waterways these days. It is
cleaned and clarified using aquatic plants as filters and consumers of toxins. As we use bog areas to filter water gardens,
we use large bog areas to filter the swimming pond. The bog area needs to be at least the same size as the swimming area to
ensure there are sufficient grasses, plants, roots to filter the water and enough microorganisms to restrict algae growth.
The water is circulated naturally because it is different temperatures at different depths. A small pump is needed to help
the circulation process. A skimmer removes leaves as they fall in. This natural filtering process keeps the water cleaner
than a chlorinated pool. The water quality meets all European standards for cleanliness and can be considered drinkable
quality. (Photo courtesy of http://www.gartenart.co.uk/)
Can I do it myself?
Maybe, if you have access to the equipment needed to dig a huge hole and move the heavy liner, rocks and gravel. I would make sure I had an experienced designer/builder to help with the process. Have all the materials on site first. Then get the hole dug, keeping in mind you need a deep part to swim in and a shallow part equally as large for the bog area of the pool.
Install a skimmer to catch leaves as they fall in, just as a in regular swimming pool. This will cut down on maintenance just as it does in your water garden.
This drawing can tell you what you need know to do a natural swimming pool, but I think I would work with the designer/builder as a consultant. (Drawing courtesy of http://www.gartenart.co.uk/)
A natural swimming pool will probably be more to install, but maintenance is minimal and no chemicals are used, so before the first year is out, you have recovered the extra money.
Imagine a beautiful natural swimming pool in your backyard. What could be more inviting.
~Jan Goldfield
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