What do backyard pool lovers do to overcome water shortages and high utility bills? Combine high tech design with the power of nature for a beautiful, cost-effective, environmentally-responsible solution.
Traditional backyard pools are great for everything from exercise to entertaining, providing attractive features that appeal to many different types of homeowners. In today’s climate of environmental awareness and drought tolerant landscaping, though, traditional pools are being replaced by their next-generation incarnation, natural pools. Also called backyard ponds, natural pools are constructed in a similar manner as traditional pools, but with the bottom covered by gravel or other natural materials and the interior filled with maintenance-free plant life that cleans and regenerates the pool without using chemicals, machines or electricity.
Don’t worry about muddy bottoms and tadpoles, though, because these aren’t your grandma’s ponds. Professionally created natural pools are beautifully designed to blend into the style of landscaping the homeowner prefers. They utilize an ecosystem of plants that use some chemical elements from the water and release others. Plants like water lilies and flag irises release phosphate and nitrates that stop algae from forming. A feature is created that keeps the water in the pond moving, sweeping away natural debris and other elements to clean the water and make it just as hygienic as water found in a traditional pool.
Along with less physical effort needed for maintenance, and a much lower utility bill, natural pools also conserve water with a much lower evaporation rate, resulting in powerful cost and energy savings.
Natural pools aren’t just a passing trend. In fact, they’ve existed since the early 1980’s when Austria and Germany first pioneered their use. Recently, the first public natural pool was opened in London, which is a true testament to both affordability and safety when it comes to the health and well-being of those who use them. With issues like increasing water shortages and the need to conserve energy, natural pools and ponds are no longer futuristic visions, but something that eco-conscious homeowners dream of for the ultimate backyard.