Growing up - that was pretty much all we had access to. In ground or above ground pools were almost unheard of in the area (unless you went to one of the big athletic centers). Lakes and private swimming holes were the place to be. While you definately have a set of concerns to deal with that are different than those in a chemically controlled pool, I wouldn't be very worried, as long as the water was clear enough to see the bottom (to avoid unwelcome guests like snapping turtles or gators on the southern side of things.
A few years back, my wife brought home a magazine that had an article on the subject (think she bought it for a recipe or something along those lines):
http://www.grit.com/Tools/Build-Your...ming-Hole.aspx
The end of the article there is a link to a British company who deals with natural swimming pools. They might have additional data regarding the safety concerns. Either way, they have a lot of pictures.
Was an interesting read and we ended up turning a segment of our pond into a dedicated swimming area. The pond itself was part of a garden with koi in the wild part and a filtration system to match their needs. We had the water tested with the SD Ag Extension office and it came back clean for the usual suspects. In most actual controlled environments the amoebas are almost unheard of (they don't swim well - so they like really stagnant and dark waters). Other bacteria are apparently also dealt with by exposure to sun and aeration (so you are better off shallow than deep).
Anywho, wasn't what I cam here for - but when I was looking for different ideas on dressing up the concrete and vinyl swimming pool, I stumbled on this thread.
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