Called many different names in the green industry – natural swimming pools, eco pools, organic pools, wetland pools, reed-bed pools, freshwater pools, swimming ponds etc. etc – it is essentially all the same concept and has got to be one of the most magical additions to your garden!
But let’s not hassle about the correct name (and call it an eco pool for now) and rather look at what amazing benefits this natural concept could offer you in comparison to an existing swimming pool or unnatural water feature.
An eco pool is a natural volume of water which is slowly moved through a wetland of natural filters such as roots and substrate which inoculates the water with micro-organisms, braking down waste and stripping the water of impurities, leaving nothing but pure fresh water.
Combining the disciplines of permaculture and hydroponics, eco pools mimic natural ecosystems producing another stepping stone in your garden for wildlife where the native flora and fauna find a way to flourish with unlimited biodiversity right on your doorstep.
People who have embraced the idea of an eco pool, speak with endless fascination of the many incredible forms of wildlife that thrives in and around this environment. From the hovering dragon flies to the croaking frogs, the ducking swallows to the kingfisher stalking water beetles. It’s and endless season of birds, butterflies etc as welll as some incredible life-cycles below the water surface – mostly invisible to the naked eye but essentially supporting a full circle of food supply.
With no harmful chemicals, shock treatments or toxic additives – it means no burny eyes, itchy skin or dry hair and you can drink as you swim in it. One can only imagine the experience of being nurtured, swimming in a natural pond of fresh water – being in touch with nature that’s as good as it’s gonna get.
Once established, eco pools should be self-regulating, operating as a completely balanced aquatic ecosystem making it low maintenance natural habitat where the forces of nature are harnessed rather than to fight it. Where an eco pool is well done, the water is normally of such quality, it could actually be piped into the kitchen. It may not be a bad idea, considering that the eco pool concept not only saves loads of water but could have a positive (lower) effect on your electricity bill when all the benefits are utilized in the design of your eco pool system.
Although every eco pool is as different and unique as the environment it inhabits, it can be tailored around any requested specifications where possible… a landscaping feature that invites nature into your backyard, making our world a more consciously better place.
And you can call it whatever you want.