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Nany peopIe can stII remember the oy of
bathng and swmmng n naturaI waters
n the countrysde, whether t was a Iake
rver or a pond, n sunshne or moonIght,
whatever the weather, wth or wthout
cIothes, n groups or as a soItary souI,
pIanned or spontaneous. AIas t has aII
changed and most chIdren today wII
never ever be abIe to experence ths due
to numerous reasons such as heaIth and
safety, trespass and Iand ownershp, Itga-
ton, poIIuted waters and many more.
However, not aII s Iost as there are now
naturaI systems for prvate and pubIc
swmmng that can be buIt for the enoy-
ment of everyone. NaturaI swmmng pooIs
are based on ponds and pooIs that were
once found so abundantIy n the Iand-
scape.
The comparson to a Iandscape pooI s
deIberate because that s what a naturaI
swmmng pooI s - a Iarge pond wth
specaI provson for peopIe to enoy the
water as weII as the varous creatures that
are attracted to t. Nature oers the best
exampIes.
Nost pooIs, ponds and Iakes are cIeaned
and pured by the combnaton of pIants
and mcro-organsms ncIudng benecaI
bactera. These mcro-organsms break
down organc wastes nto substances
whch pIants can use drectIy as nutrents.
The pIeasure of usng naturaI water
once agan for bathng and swmmng s
now avaIabIe to many peopIe, whether
t s n the prvacy of ther own home or
pubIcIy at a hoteI, a park, or any recrea-
tonaI centre n the mountans or at the
seasde! They are sheer bIss n whch to
swm and a oy to see.
How it all began
The orgnaI concept was deveIoped n
Austra by a number of peopIe, who were
very conscous of the heaIth benets of
bathng n naturaI waters found at spas
ll's swinninq wealher alriqhl, bul are you happy lor your lanily lo swin in chlorinaled waler` Whal
aboul lhe sea` MchaeI LttIewood puls lorward lhe case lor nalural swinninq pools.
NU' ^^ OO'
alural swinninq pools are already widely
used riqhl across Lurope. 1hey conbine lhe
pleasure ol our nalural surroundinqs wilh a
sale and chenicallree balhinq environnenl.
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and hydro pIaces. It was not untI J98
that the dea was commercaIIy deveIoped
by an Austran based company, caIIed
Botop, by the founder Peter Petrch who
conceved the dea of a seIf cIeanng
bosystem for swmmng ponds.
These have been favoured by many
European homeowners and have aIso
become very popuIar n hoteIs and
resorts. Botop was foIIowed by Bonova
of Germany, who pIanned and executed
the rst pubIc pooI n J998, wth consd-
erabIe success. Botop and Bonova were
foIIowed by Botech of SwtzerIand and
durng ths perod there were severaI
other companes who undertook the
buIdng of naturaI swmmng pooIs.
Nore than JDDD pooIs have now been
buIt n Austra, Germany and SwtzerIand
by many contractors. Each one has some-
thng unque to oer wth ther ndvduaI
systems but aII are varatons on the same
theme.
As part of my phIosophy of ecoIogcaI
desgn I had for some tme been Iookng
for an aIternatve to chemcaI swmmng
pooIs. A vst to the Botop company n
Venna earIy n 2DDD, where I studed ther
system, resuIted n brngng the concept
back to ths country. The rst naturaI
swmmng pooI was buIt n September
2DDJ for a cIent of mne near Newent n
GIoucestershre.
How they work
NaturaI swmmng pooIs, are a chemcaI
free combnaton of swmmng area and
aquatc pIant garden. The swmmng area
merges wth the pIanted area, creatng
an envronment that s ntertwned and
mutuaIIy dependent on one another.
These ecoIogcaIIy baIanced, seIf cIeanng
swmmng pooIs combne the naturaI
cIeanng propertes of pIants wth Itra-
ton and skmmng systems so that there
s no need for harmfuI chemcaIs or nten-
sve sand Itraton .
The resuIt s a boIogcaIIy chemcaI
free cIean swmmng envronment. The
water s cIear but not sterIsed, as n the
tradtonaI swmmng pooI, and t s abIe
to sustan the normaI range of pond Ife,
mcroscopc organsms, nvertebrates and
even frogs and toads. The aquatc Hora
and fauna are ndcators of the state of
the envronment and at present ther Ioss
n the Iandscape s very worryng.
WhIe desgns of the naturaI swmmng
pooIs may vary aII consst of a swmmng
area and a regeneraton ]pIants) zone.
The swmmng area can range between
J2DD and 22DD mm deep and s kept pIant
free. It s usuaIIy Ined wth a rubber Iner
or foI to prevent water Ieakage and t s
separated from the Hegeneraton zone by
a barrer waII. Ths prevents the nvason
of pIants and soI Ieakage from the
Hegeneraton zone nto the swmmng area
and t aIso makes t much easer to servce
and dran each separateIy. The waII top
wII actuaIIy be approxmateIy JDDmm
beIow the surface of the pooI n order to
aIIow free transfer of water between each
area.
Wthn the Hegeneraton zone the water
s cIeansed boIogcaIIy by the roots of
the aquatc pIants and mcro-organ-
sms. The pIants act as Ivng Iters and
provde a very mportant functon n the
whoIe system by absorbng decomposng
materaIs and bactera as weII as poIIut-
ants from the water and convertng t nto
bomass ]pIant tssue), thereby cIeanng
water. Water pIants reIy on these nutrents
for ther growth.
Zoo pIankton s mportant for the
naturaI swmmng pooI as they feed
on sngIe-ceIIed aIgae and Iter them
out of the water. Through ths naturaI
seIf-cIeanng process the use of harsh
chemcaIs s unnecessary to keep the pooI
free from aIgae and safe. There s very
IttIe need for mantenance.
Plants
A range of aquatc pIants are used
coverng submerged ]oxygenators),
Hoatng, shaIIow margnaIs, deep margn-
aIs, bogJmarsh and watersde speces.
Wherever possbIe ndgenous pIants
are used but a dentve pIant Ist s not
aIways possbIe as each regon shouId
have pIants from ts own IocaIty f they
exst as ths wII provde for more nterest.
AII aquatc pIants grow far more quckIy
than soI based speces and there s
aIways the necessty of thnnng and
prunng. However t must aIso be ponted
out that too much heat can aIso cause
consderabIe stress.
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Construction
A swmmng pooI requres a deep area of
at Ieast JDD to 22DD wth near vertcaI
waIIs whch needs to be constructed for
the swmmng area and waterproofed by
means of a rubber Iner wth an under-
Iner. The swmmng area shouId be a
mnmum of 2 square metes ]D metres
s the mnmum for the totaI area). The
nternaI waIIs shouId be constructed from
sustanabIe materaIs wherever possbIe
such as recycIed pIastc, stone, tmber
or geotextIe bags. As they wII be actng
as a retanng structure for the materaI
and pIants n the Hegeneraton zone, they
shouId be carefuIIy engneered. The waIIs
usuaIIy have a cappng.
The waIIs shouId nsh JDDmm beIow
the water surface to mantan the vsuaI
eect of one pooI. IdeaIIy the Iner shouId
be pIaced behnd the waII ]but n some
cases t goes over the waII) to ensure that
t s both hdden and protected.
The water s drawn down through the
substrate n the Hegeneraton zone and
through perforated ppework to the pump.
The water s aIso taken va the surface
skmmer to the pump where t s agan
Itered before returnng to the bottom of
the Swmmng area.
The Hegeneraton zone must be of the
same sze as the Swmmng area and have
an average depth of 3DDmm of aggregate,
usuaIIy graded from D to 4D approx-
mateIy.
In some pooIs the pIants wouId
surround the swmmng area, gvng a soft
pIanted margn to the pooI. In smaII pooIs
t s better to pIant on one sde onIy so as
to avod a tght encIosed eect. Where
space s at a premum, an aIternatve s
to create a second pooI, perhaps uphII
to aIIow the water to How between the
bodes of water, probabIy usng a pump
and waterfaII.
The Hegeneraton zone utIses a course
nert substrate, such as shngIeJgraveI
and not topsoI or any other growng
medum as ths wouId brng hgh IeveIs of
nutrents to the water and wouId coun-
teract the cIeanng eects of the pIants,
whIe contrbutng to the sItng process.
By pIantng the aquatc pIants n shngIe
they must draw ther nutrents from the
water tseIf and so cIean the pooI. AIso by
cuttng and removng the pIant mass each
autumn, the mpurtes heId n the pIants
are physcaIIy removed from the water,
aIIowng the cycIe to begn agan n the
foIIowng sprng. A surface Ieaf skmmer
s aIso used to heIp remove Hoatng debrs
from the water.
SIt, a combnaton of decayng vegeta-
ton, dust and other detrtus wII aIways
form n any body of water and dependng
upon the sze and Iocaton of the pooI t
can easIy be removed by ether a vacuum
or bottom purge system.
A dranage dtch s constructed
compIeteIy around the pooI to ensure that
no water runo enters the pooI thereby
causng any derences n the pH and the
water quaIty.
It has been assumed by many peopIe
that the cost of buIdng a naturaI
swmmng pooI shouId be consderabIy
cheaper than the conventonaI ones.
SadIy ths s not the case due to the many
compIextes wth the boIogcaI as weII as
the constructon processes. CurrentIy the
average cost s 3DJ4DD.DD per square
metre wth a mnmum sze of D square
metres.
Exstng swmmng pooIs can easIy
be converted to the naturaI process
provdng that there s space for the
Hegeneraton Zone, ether as a separate
pooI or as a subdvson.
Water quality
The quaIty of the water s of specaI
sgncance. The Iayout of the pooI wth
ts naturaI Hegeneraton zone promotes
the seIf-cIeanng forces of the water and
the mechansms provde a Iong term
stabIe and hygenc quaIty. The use of
chemcaIs wouId onIy Iead to the destruc-
ton of the boIogcaI baIance n the water.
The shaIIow warmer water of the
Hegeneraton zone crcuIates wth the
cooIer deeper water of the Swmmng
area and ncreases ts temperature much
more quckIy. SoIar methods can be
used provdng care s exercsed and t s
not used untI the pIants have grown to
combat the aIgae.
Fsh are not aIIowed n the pooI as they
cause damage to the water quaIty and
aIso encourage brds such as herons, who
couId aIso damage the Iner. Oucks, geese
and any other waterfowI, are aIso dscour-
1he conslruclion sequence is sinilar lo lhal ol an elaborale qarden
pond. 1he inporlanl noles lo renenber are lhal lhe swin area
walls are kepl 100nn below lhe surlace waler heiqhl lo allow
waler lo nix belween lhe swin zone and lhe planl zones.
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aged and any pets such as dogs.
Wildlile
The naturaI swmmng pooI provdes an
attractve bosphere for varous knds
of anmaIs and s quckIy nhabted after
ts creaton. They stay mostIy n the
Hegeneraton zone that serves them weII
wth food and sheIter. There are many
predatory nsects that feed on mosquto
Iarvae.
Amphbans use the Hegeneraton zone
as a breedng ground too. They appear n
earIy Sprng to Iay ther eggs. The amphb-
ans usuaIIy mgrate from the pooI before
the swmmng season commences.
Health
Numerous users state that the oy of
usng water free from chemcaIs s
profound. ChIorne used n conventonaI
pooIs s a skn rrtant and can be asso-
cated wth rashes Ike eczema and a
number of serous dseases. ChIorne has
been documented to aggravate asthma,
especaIIy n those chIdren who make
frequent use of chIornated swmmng
pooIs. ChIornated water contans
chemcaI compounds caIIed trhaIometh-
anes whch are suspected carcnogens
alural pools can be conslrucled near lo lhe hone jusl
like nornal swinninq pools. 1hey can even be inside/
oulside wilh lhe swinninq parl ol lhe pool inside a
suilable buildinq and lhe planl zone oulside.
resuItng from the combnaton of
chIorne wth organc compounds n water.
They do not degrade very weII and are
stored n the fatty tssues of the body.
Conclusion
There s no doubt that our Iandscape
s n severe dstress and the Ioss of
wetIands, especaIIy ponds and pooIs
has now reached a crtcaI stage. NaturaI
swmmng pooIs can therefore, make
a very mportant contrbuton to the
restoraton of aquatc Hora and fauna. We
must every eort to desgn n harmony
wth nature.
For, as many owners of naturaI
swmmng pooIs comment, t s that
harmony, a seamIess bIendng of env-
ronments that s the maor advantage.
Nany have aIso sad that t has enrched
ther Ives. WhIe you are separated from
the pIants you stII feeI surrounded by
them when you swm, whch creates a
very specaI knd of mood. The coIour of
the Howers from sprng throughout the
summer and nto the autumn, aIong wth
the chorus of the brds and the frogs
make peopIe feeI far cIoser to nature. It
provdes them wth a very specaI pIace
to be at any tme of the day or nght,
throughout the whoIe year. It s ther very
own naturaI oass.
AII ths not onIy appIes to the thousands
of prvate pooIs that have been buIt but
to the hundreds of pubIc pooIs n use on
the contnent for over twenty years. On
the contnent there s a derent atttude
to bathng and swmmng. The heaIth
gvng propertes of water, sunshne and
gentIe breezes on the body are wdeIy
acknowIedged both by the pubIc and the
governments.
Wth the many changes forecast n our
cImate that pubIc pooIs wII be possbIe
n the Unted Kngdom but t couId weII
be that ndoor pooIs usng pIants from
tropcaI countres may need to be the
startng pont or a combnaton of both. I
Iong for the day when we, the pubIc, wII
be provded wth the choce of swmmng
n water of our choosng - naturaI or
chemcaI.
Michael Lilllewood
1here are now a snall nunber ol dedicaled nalural
swinninq pool builders in lhe K.
014o0 z401oS
nichaelQecodesiqnscape.co.uk