Natural Swimming Pool Design

You may have never heard of these, but the principles and technology have been well established and tested in Europe and the UK over the past two decades. For about the same cost as a normal swimming pool, a natural swimming pool features chlorine and chemical-free water which is cleaned and purified by a biological plant filter which also creates an attractive and natural backdrop.

The concept is essentially the same as building a backyard pond with an attached bog and circulating pump, except on a larger scale. A barrier separates the swimming area from a gravel bed holding the plants, and a submerged pump draws the water through the plant root system, which absorbs nitrates and trap leaf and other debris, which are broken down by bacteria, or removed at year's end. Water also circulates through a sand filter which removes fine particulates and where bacteria break down ammonia into nitrites and nitrates. A UV steralizer is included in some designs, and absent in others.

To achieve sufficient filtration, the area of the plant zone should equal at least 50% of the area of the swimming zone. In the most common design style, the plant zone is placed around the periphery of the swimming zone. There is no reason, however, why the plant zone couldn't be placed in a different configuration or separated from the pool entirely. It is possible to have a completely normal looking pool where the water is pumped to a separate plant zone for filtration. In fact, an existing concrete pool could be converted to a natural pool in this way.

Your natural pool or swimming pond is also a fine environment for keeping goldfish or koi. A few small fish are recommended at minimum to eliminate mosquitos. Pet turtles are also welcome, and frogs, birds, and other wildlife will naturally be drawn to the plant zone, and will naturally avoid swimmers.