Natural Pools or Natural Swimming Ponds (NSPs)
Let nature clean the water...



Chemical-free water garden and swimming pool. The plant portion, or regeneration zone, is separated from the swimming area by the wall seen a few inches below the water’s surface. www.naturalswimmingpools.com




The pools have skimmers and pumps that circulate the water through the regeneration zone and back into the swimming area. The aquatic plants filter out contaminants and use nutrients from the water as food which helps prevent algae. Then rocks, such as granite river rock or haydite, to which friendly bacteria attach, act as biological filters. More questions answered here: www.ecodesignscape.co.uk & www.gartenart.co.uk




There are many options as to design. Beneficial bacteria (micro-organisms and microbes) colonize the rock and help cleanse the water. www.clear-water-revival.com




A gradual slope contains the plants, gravel and loamy sand, a wall keeps them separate from the swimming area.




Vacuum but twice a year and tend to the plants as needed. The plants will need to be cut back in the fall so they do not die in the pool. www.naturalswimmingpools.com




The regeneration zone can be along the perimeter of a natural pool or a pond unto itself but connected to the swimming area. www.gartenart.co.uk




For a true natural pool with no help from ultraviolet light or other such technology, the requirement is half swimming area, half regeneration area. www.biotop-natural-pool.com




Plants steel the nutrients away from algae. www.gartenart.co.uk





Half regeneration area, half swimming pool. www.living-pool.eu




Natural predators such as water striders and dragonflies will come to live in the enrichment area and feast on mosquitoes. If you chose to have a skimmer installed this will keep mosquitoes in check as well. Woodhouse demo pool - www.naturalswimmingpools.com




Use your pool as an ice rink in winter, as there is no need for a cover.  www.gartenart.co.uk




A first year pool will need at least 60 days to self-adjust, but installing an ultraviolet sterilizer in the pump area will have you swimming almost immediately. www.clear-water-revival.com




Note the plant pond to the right. In France: www.bioteich.fr




The pools are most popular in Austria, where a company called Biotop has been designing them for residential and public use since 1986. Pic: www.homeexteriorinterior.com




Two-tiered, the waterfall helps oxygenate the pool. naturalpoolsnz.com




A hybrid natural pool usually has two circulation pumps. One where water is circulated through the plant and rock filters before being discharged back to the bottom of the pond. The second surface circulation system pulls water through one or two skimmers filtering out floating debris. Water drawn through the skimmers passes through some type of filter system, such as a UV filter and/or a biofilter—essentially a box filled with bacteria-laden bio-media—before returning to the pool. A waterfall helps with oxygenation. South Africa: www.naturalswimmingpools.co.za

Love the deck amongst the water plants. An original Biotop pool - www.biotop-natural-pool.com




Access through an enrichment area. www.clear-water-revival.com




Love the diving boards. www.naturalswimmingpools.com




Natural pool in the UK  www.clear-water-revival.com




Convert a pond into a swimming pond. Mother Earth News says there are a few options as to liners - bentonite clay to seal the soil or a synthetic liner. If you choose a synthetic, they recommend ethylene propylene diene monomer rather than PVC. www.motherearthnews.com www.gartenart.co.uk




Ice skate in the winter.  www.gartenart.co.uk




No chemicals so the water is soft. www.gartenart.co.uk





Close up of a Do it Yourself kit from www.clear-water-revival.com





Northeast U.S.  www.waterhousepools.com




New free-form construction. www.clear-water-revival.com




Conventional pools can also be converted to natural pools; above is an internal conversion. www.gartenart.co.uk





Convert your existing pool into a natural pool. www.bionovanaturalpools.com See pics of a conversion process here: www.clear-water-revival.com




Conversion with added beach. www.bionovanaturalpools.com



Plants instead of chemicals -- have you ever thought about how many pounds of chemicals go into a typical swimming pool?

Plants: A range of aquatic plants are used -- submerged (oxygenators), floating, shallow marginals, deep marginals, bog/marsh and waterside species. Whenever possible, it is best to use indigenous plants. Some examples of typical water plants: cattails, bulrushes, sedges, duckweed and water lilies.



Do it Yourself:

www.motherearthnews.com

www.schwimmteich-selbstbau.de  In German

naturalswimmingpools.info

www.naturalswimmingpools.com -construction images

Natural Swimming Pools Book by Michael Littlewood www.amazon.com


Builders:

EU:

Biotop since 1984 with more than 3,500 satisfied customers. Their partner network covers 17 countries. Head Office: Austria www.biotop-natural-pool.com

BioNova® is a global network of Partners on 6 continents who work synergistically to push the state-of-the-art of Natural Swimming Pool design, construction, aesthetics and maintenance. Head Office: Munich www.bionovanaturalpools.com

UK:

GartenArt  www.gartenart.co.uk

Woodhouse Natural Pools with BIOTOP™ have been developing and building naturally filtered swimming pools in the UK since 2000. www.naturalswimmingpools.com

Clear Water Revival www.clear-water-revival.com  sell KITS as well...

France:

Bioteich Baignades Naturelles www.bioteich.fr

U.S.

Total Habitat, Kansas  www.totalhabitat.com

Expanding Horizons, Calif  expandinghorizons.biz

Pond Doctor Dave, Arizona - does conversions www.pond-doctor-dave.com

Water House Pools, Massachusetts www.waterhousepools.com

Canada:

Tumber & Associates Landscape Consultants, Ont. www.tumber.ca
Genus Loci Ecological Landscapes, Ont. www.genus-loci.ca

New Zealand:

Natural Pools  naturalpoolsnz.com

South Africa:

www.naturalswimmingpools.co.za nice designs!

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Cornellius Deng
Posts: 19

Awesome
Reply #19 on : Sun May 13, 2012, 22:17:21

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these are awesome....

Anonymous
Posts: 19

Re: Natural Pools or Swimming Ponds
Reply #18 on : Sat May 12, 2012, 01:01:29

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this is awesome i have never seen anything like it but it has been my dream to do something like this for years. where i was raised and now live 30 miles from but both always surrounded but water, I've learned water is water and you are used to swimming in beaches and rivers and pools (natural) springs, creeks, craters that filled when it rained excessively. so why not make your own and be creative about it and make its multifunctional. bravo, these are beautiful!

Coperfield
Posts: 19

Beautiful scenery
Reply #17 on : Fri May 11, 2012, 22:11:46

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Beautiful scenery is shown above the pictures.

Manoj Singh
Posts: 19

Natural Pools or Natural Swimming Ponds
Reply #16 on : Fri May 04, 2012, 05:59:11

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awesome images......

Lea vigil
Posts: 19

Pond Pool
Reply #15 on : Tue May 01, 2012, 02:53:16

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Amazing, I love it and want one now! :)

Minister Evelyn Diane Thomas
Posts: 19

God's natural beauty
Reply #14 on : Sat April 28, 2012, 10:18:35

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There is nothing like mother nature and what God created... He said it was good!

Architecture Linked
Posts: 19

Impressive
Reply #13 on : Wed April 25, 2012, 15:16:37

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Brilliant combination of green <a href="http://www.architecturelinked.com">design</a> and leisure functionality. Great idea.

melshae5
Posts: 19

Amazing
Reply #12 on : Thu April 12, 2012, 13:41:34

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These are truly amazing as a landscape architect I would love to incorporate these into my work! I knew that aquariums around the world use technology like this on a much larger scale, but i never thought about it for freshwater private owners!

Anonymous
Posts: 19

Re: Natural Pools or Swimming Ponds
Reply #11 on : Wed April 04, 2012, 20:33:41

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very neat Would keep the clorine from coulering my hair.

Mrs. C
Posts: 19

fish
Reply #10 on : Mon April 02, 2012, 19:16:55

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I love having fish in my pond but I don't know if I want to swim with them. I have frogs and salamanders too. The pictures are amazing. So beautiful. Can I get my head around swimming with critters.

Caleb
Posts: 19

Re: Natural Pools or Swimming Ponds
Reply #9 on : Fri March 23, 2012, 14:23:35

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bugs like crazy?

Caroline
Posts: 19

Ohio
Reply #8 on : Tue March 13, 2012, 20:37:35

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Anyone know a contact in Ohio that can consult on a natural pool project?

yoyo
Posts: 19

snake turtle bites
Reply #7 on : Fri March 02, 2012, 15:11:50

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call it paranoid but when i mention this to people their first comment is " iam scared of snakes"

Anonymous
Posts: 19

Re: Natural Pools or Swimming Ponds
Reply #6 on : Wed February 22, 2012, 23:29:43

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Love it!!! awesome pics

heh
Posts: 19

Re: snake and turtle bites
Reply #5 on : Tue January 24, 2012, 16:40:16

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hah, that's the most paranoid thing to say about these pools.

Anonymous
Posts: 19

Re: Natural Pools or Swimming Ponds
Reply #4 on : Sat December 10, 2011, 21:51:19

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The only question I have is does algae grow in it?? It looks kinda green...

Will Metge
Posts: 19

These are fabulous! Thank you.
Reply #3 on : Tue November 22, 2011, 22:38:55

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These look so much better than a regular pool. Why would anyone want a sterile, caustic, artificial blue pool when you could have one of these lush, green natural swimming holes.

Anonymous
Posts: 19

Re: Natural Pools or Swimming Ponds
Reply #2 on : Mon November 14, 2011, 10:12:59

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snake and turtle bites are going to happen alot with this

umesh
Posts: 19

natural swimming pool
Reply #1 on : Sat October 22, 2011, 11:20:33

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thats nice look like very beautyful . all r like this type pool. also good for health. b,coz its ful of green plantation