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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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