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Natural Swimming Pools ~ The Ultimate Water Garden |
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| Some people
may remember the joy of swimming in natural waters, whether it was a lake,
river or a pond, unfortunately today things are very different and most
children may never be able to experience this due to reasons such as health
and safety, trespass and land ownership, and the biggest concern of all
- polluted waters. Now natural systems for private and public swimming are increasing in popularity and can be built for the enjoyment of everyone. Natural swimming pools are based on ponds and pools that were once found and enjoyed so abundantly in the landscape. |
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An Example
of a natural swimming pool |
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The comparison to a landscape pond/pool is deliberate because that is what a natural swimming pool is – a large pond with a swimming area for people to enjoy the water as well as the wildlife that is attracted to it. Natural swimming pools are cleaned and purified by the combination of plants and micro-organisms including beneficial bacteria. These micro-organisms break down organic wastes into substances which plants can use directly as nutrients. |
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How it all began
The concept was originally developed in Austria
by a number of people, who were very aware of the health benefits of swimming
in natural water spas and hydro centers. Around 1985 the idea was commercially
developed by an Austrian company, who conceived the idea of a self cleaning
bio-system for swimming ponds. |
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An
Example of a natural swimming pool |
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| This has
been favoured by many European homeowners and has also become very popular
in hotels and resorts More than 1000 pools have now been built in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Each one has something unique to offer with their individual systems but all are variations on the same theme. |
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How they work Natural swimming pools are a chemical free combination
of swimming area and aquatic plant garden combined with the technology
of the Nexus filter. The swimming area merges
with the planted area, creating an environment that is intertwined and
mutually dependent on one another. These ecologically balanced, swimming
pools combine the natural cleaning properties of plants with filtration
and skimming systems so that there is no need for harmful chemicals or
intensive sand filtration. |
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| While designs
of the natural swimming pools may vary, all consist of a swimming area and
a regeneration (plants) zone. The swimming area can range between 1200 and 2200 mm deep and is kept plant free. It is usually lined with a rubber liner and it is separated from the Regeneration zone by a barrier wall. This prevents the invasion of plants and soil leakage from the Regeneration zone into the swimming area and it also makes it much easier to service and drain each separately. The top of the barrier is approximately 100mm below the surface of the pool in order to allow free transfer of water between each area. Within the Regeneration zone the water is cleansed biologically by the roots of the aquatic plants and micro-organisms. |
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An Example
of a natural swimming pool |
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| The plants act as living filters and provide a very important function in the whole system by absorbing decomposing materials and bacteria as well as pollutants from the water and converting it into biomass (plant tissue), thereby cleaning water. Water plants rely on these nutrients for their growth. Through this natural self-cleaning process the use of harsh chemicals is unnecessary to keep the pool free from algae and safe. There is very little need for maintenance. | |||||||||||
| Construction A swimming pool requires a deep area of at least 1500 to 2200 with near vertical walls which needs to be constructed for the swimming area and waterproofed by means of a rubber liner and underlay. The swimming area should be a minimum of 25 square metes (50 meters is the minimum for the total area). The barrier wall should finish 100mm below the water surface to maintain the visual effect of one pool. Ideally the liner should be placed behind the wall (but in some cases it goes over the wall) to ensure that it is both hidden and protected. The water is drawn from the swimming area sometimes via a bottom drain as well as from surface skimmers through pipe into the Nexus filtration system and feed back into the Regeneration zone. The Regeneration zone must be in proportion to the swimming area and have an average depth of 300mm of aggregate, usually graded from 50 to 450 approximately. In some pools the plants would surround the swimming area, giving a soft planted margin to the pool. In small pools it is better to plant on one side only so as to avoid a tight enclosed effect. Where space is at a premium, an alternative is to create a second pool, perhaps uphill to allow the water to flow between the bodies of water, probably using a pump and waterfall. The Regeneration zone utilises a course inert substrate, such as shingle/gravel and not topsoil or any other growing medium as this would bring high levels of nutrients to the water and would counteract the cleaning effects of the plants, while contributing to the silting process. By planting the aquatic plants in shingle they must draw their nutrients from the water itself and so clean the pool. Also by cutting and removing the plant mass each autumn, the impurities held in the plants are physically removed from the water, allowing the cycle to begin again in the following spring. A surface leaf skimmer is also used to help remove floating debris from the water. Silt, a combination of decaying vegetation, dust and other detritus will always form in any body of water and depending upon the size and location of the pool it can easily be removed by either a vacuum or bottom purge system. A drainage ditch should be constructed completely around the pool to ensure that no water runoff enters the pool thereby causing any differences in the pH and the water quality. It has been assumed by many people that the cost of building a natural swimming pool should be considerably cheaper than the conventional ones. Sadly this is not the case due to the many complexities with the biological as well as the construction processes. Existing swimming pools can easily be converted to the natural process providing that there is space for the Regeneration Zone, either as a separate pool or as a subdivision. |
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| Water
quality The quality of the water is of
special significance. The layout of the pool with its natural Regeneration
zone promotes the self-cleaning forces of the water combined with the
Nexus filtration system provides a long term
stable and hygienic quality. The use of chemicals would only lead to the
destruction of the biological balance in the water. |
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An Example of
a natural swimming pool |
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