Well it’s not, ecologically friendly, swimming ponds or pools,
are already time-tested since several decades in Germany,
Austria and Switzerland. Later the principle caught on in the
Netherlands, England and the US as well. However, in the
south of Europe, with the best weather for having swimming
pools, it is pretty unheard of!
Now what is exactly a swim pond? Essentially it is an hybrid
between a regular pond and a swimming pool. Depending
on particular preferences of the owner, it resembles more a
pond or more a regular swimming pool. But all of them have
in common, that the pool is completely ecological friendly. No
complex fi lter systems and chorine and salts are applied.
Clean and Healthy
The swimpond is perfectly clean, thanks to the aquatic
plants that are used to fi lter the water in which you swim.
The s-ubstrate with their microbial fl ora and the plants
function as a Helophyte fi lter, they fi lter all residues and bad
elements out of the water. The microbes in the substrate which suppress the growth of algae, but leaves the plant
provide for a biological breakdown of waste that eventually fi l ter unharmed.
accumulates in the swimming water. Because swimponds Depending on how frequent the pond is going to be used
do not need any chemicals, it is also safe for your skin and for swimming, the plant fi lter makes up a minimum of 25 %
hair. No longer plagued with red and irritated eyes because for the occasional swimmers and a maximum of 50 % for
of the chemicals! frequent swimmers, although a fi lter zone the same size as
Filtering the swimming zone is not unheard of.
This process is far more passive than with regular pools. A Typical plants used in a plant fi lter are fast growing, to
plant fi lter is essentially a second pond, next to the swimming ensure a more effi cient removal of waste products from the
pond. A plant fi lter is visually connected or separated from the water. Examples are, Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus), Sweet
swimming pond, as the client wishes, but the water always Flag (Acorus calamus) and Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus).
fl o ws from the swimpond to the plant fi lter and vice versa. And, no worries, you’re not going to be wading through muck
and reeds, as the plantfi lter is more or less separated from
the swimming pond. Also, the swim pond, especially when
physically separated from the plant fi lter, can be regularly
cleaned with the common automatic pool vacuum cleaners.
Life
Inevitably, because the pool is ecological, it will attract life
to the pool.
Various kinds of insects, amphibias (frogs) and water fl eas
can be found in the pool. No worries, mosquitos are not
attracted, since they prefer stagnant foul water, complete
the contrary of what a good swim pond ought to be.
And water fl eas make the water crystal clear, since they fi lter
out unicellular algae, which is the culprit of so many turbid
green water bodies.
Colour is added, by the fl owers from the waterlilies and irises,
planted in the plantfi lter, and from the dragonfl ies attracted
by the water.
Mostly though, this life stays in the plantfi lter zone, since the
During this fl ow, water passes through the plants and the
substrate, and on its way through, the microbes take harmful
elements out of the water, like nitrates and sulphates, they
are then bound in insoluble salts or consumed by the plants
for their growth processes.
Several plants commonly used in a plant fi lter are known
to inhibit growth of algae, by means of excretions from the
plants, a kind of biological algaecide. However, to keep the
pond absolutely free of algae, several biological products
are added to the water at certain moments of the year,
International Lifestyle Magazine
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