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Swimming Pool Conversions – A Natural Alternative
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by Jean-Marc Daigle You own a swimming pool. Perhaps you had it built a few years back, or you acquired it with the house purchase. Initially, the pool was great fun for you and your family. But the kids have grown up and lost interest. Maybe you’ve got health concerns regarding the use of chlorine and pool chemicals, and have lost the will to keep up with the pool’s maintenance. Perhaps it’s sprung a leak, and you are facing costly repairs. For whatever reason, the pool has lost its appeal; now it has become that blue elephant in the back yard. What do you do? Some homeowners will opt to get rid of it, by filling it with soil. Unfortunately, a properly decommissioned pool comes at a price, and this may be the most expensive hole you will ever fill. Some with health concerns may spend their money on a conversion to a salt water (or other non-chlorinated) system. And, yet others may decide to bite the bullet and keep the current system up and running, for lack of a better option. If this is your dilemma, you may want to consider a more natural and ecologically sensible fresh water alternative. You can convert your chlorinated pool into a “natural swimming pool”. Natural swimming pools were pioneered in the 1980’s by Biotop, an Austrian pool company. Since then, they have gained tremendous popularity across Europe and Great Britain, where many thousands have been built. Although it has taken a while for the concept to capture the public imagination here in North America, natural swimming pools are now gaining a foothold in the pool construction market. Lots of information is now available on-line – Google “natural swimming pool”, and you’ll be amazed at some of the beautiful creations out there. Conventional pools rely on chlorine and other chemicals to keep the water clean and biologically sterile, i.e., free of algae, microbial activity, and other life forms (other than swimmers). Natural swimming pools, on the other hand, are anything but sterile. They are designed to promote aquatic life rather than eliminate it. Water quality is maintained by the aquatic plant and biological filters, in combination with mechanical UV sterilizers, ion generators, and skimmers. Natural swimming pools are lined with a rubber liner, and are typically built to resemble a natural pond. A typical design consists of a central swim zone enclosed by a submerged retaining wall. The wall holds back the aquatic plantings
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grown in granite rock and peastone beds around the pool perimeter. Water is pumped through the plant filters, and in tandem with a bio-filter waterfall and other mechanical cleansing components, is proven to keep the water clean and clear. All you add is a few spoonfuls of beneficial bacteria every couple of weeks through the swimming season. These bacteria will colonize the rock and other biomedia in the plant filters and bio-falls, where they will provide highly effective algae control. As with any pool, the design may be further accessorized with plantings, a deck or patio, stone diving slabs, stone steps, underwater lighting and other accessories. In a pool conversion, the basic design principles still apply. The existing pool shell becomes the “swim zone”, and the existing pump and skimmers are incorporated into the converted pool’s circulation system. A large plant filter is constructed next to the existing pool. You’ll need enough space in the yard to accommodate the plant filter, which ideally should be roughly the same size as the swim zone. Aesthetically, the plant filters are designed to complement the existing pool shape, and become a landscape feature in and of themselves. Designed as a water garden, the filter is planted with a variety of native aquatic plants, and ornamented with granite boulders and riverstone. The installation includes a waterfall that doubles as a biological filter. The aquatic plant filters are linked to the existing pool via a second circulation system. Water is drawn from the swim zone, pushed through the plant filter up to the waterfall, and discharged back into the pool. All connections between the existing pool and the plant filters must be properly sealed, and must be designed to suit the existing pool type, such as fibreglass, vinyl, or concrete. An ion generator and UV filter is added to the circulation system to maintain optimal water quality. A properly designed and constructed natural filtration system will maintain the same fresh water quality you would expect in a natural swimming pool. Of course, a conversion comes at a price; costs will vary depending on factors such as the existing pool size and type, and ease of equipment access. However, if the concept appeals to you and you are prepared to invest in a conversion, it will literally breathe new life into your pool, and married with the aquatic gardens, will transform your backyard into an aquatic oasis.
Jean-Marc Daigle is a landscape architect and president of Genus Loci Ecological Landscapes Inc. He can be reached at 905-939-8498, or at jeanmarc@genus-loci.ca.
Ontario Association of Landscape Architects
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