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Natural pools                                                                           WATER WISE








        A new and exciting lifestyle trend in home gardens and other landscapes is the installation of
        natural pools or ponds. A natural pool is a type of constructed wetland that is implemented
        to purify and store water safely and effectively. Natural pools and ponds have also been
        placed in gardens and landscapes to provide beautiful and sustainable natural swimming
        pools.






















        South  Africans  are fortunate to  have lovely hot  Natural ponds provide a number of benefits, such as:
        summers that are perfect for lazy days in the pool.  •  Providing a habitat for aquatic birds and animals.
        However, we also  live in  a semi-arid, water  scarce  •  Extended storage of water for irrigation.
        country.  A  typical    residential  swimming  pool  can  •  Low cost due to low maintenance and operational
        hold anything from 20 000 to 80 000 litres of water.     costs.
        On the Highveld, a pool can lose up to 2m of water  •  Removal of chemicals and heavy  metals from
        a year from evaporation, while in hotter, more arid      water.
        regions up to  3.5m  of water  can be  lost. So,  how
        can you enjoy the luxury of a swimming pool while  Maintenance of natural pools is easy - simply clearing
        remaining water wise?                                 the  filter  of  leaves  and  other  debris  and  pruning
                                                              the  natural  vegetation  once  a  month  is  enough  to
        Natural pools are eco-friendly and do not require the  successfully maintain a functioning natural pool.
        use of  chemicals.  Integrated into the  surrounding
        environment, natural  pools  act as mini-ecosystems  To reduce the costs of filling the pool with potable
        and can provide a  habitat to a number of aquatic  water,  as  one  does  with  conventional  pools,  the
        plants and animals. Besides providing an opportunity  efficient  filtering  and  cleansing  that  occurs  in  a
        for the swimmer  to indulge in  pure,  chemical-free  natural pool means that rainwater can be harvested
        dips, the natural pool can become a beautiful feature  to supply the pool.  By  using  harvested water  and
        of any contemporary garden.                           solar-powered  filter  systems  a  natural  pool  can
                                                              literally be taken ‘off the grid’!
        Natural pools use the concept of wetland  or river
        ecosystems.  Indigenous  aquatic  vegetation  and  Natural pools and constructed
        simple filtration systems are used to clean the water.  wetlands  are just an  example
        Beneficial  micro-organisms are inoculated into the  of how we can rely on nature
        filter  system  to  break  down  waste,  which  is  then  to enhance our lives.
        absorbed  by  the  roots  of  the  aquatic  plants.  As  a
        result, there are no  food sources to  facilitate the
        growth of algae.








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