Natural Swimming Pool Photo Gallery

[PoolDoc]

Hmm-mm. There may be a reason why "natural pools" are mostly a European thing: they killed off most of their wildlife centuries ago, so their natural pools may not acquire the sort of competing population green pools here, do.

Actually, I've been thinking about that a bit. My PERSONAL collection of critters found in pools include: black snake, ring-neck snake, garter snake, Eastern water snake, Canada geese, mallard ducks, rats, mice, shrews, bullfrogs, leopard frogs, toe biters, tiger salamanders, chipmunks, and black widow spiders.

The things I recall forum members reporting, during the various incarnations of the PoolForum include deer, black bear, skunks, in addition to the things above.

However, if you put one of those pools in this area of the south-east, you'd be able to add: great blue heron, little green heron, water bugs galore, every kind of frog known to man, and . . . and snapping turtles.

Even I try to avoid swimming with those things!

[PoolDoc]

Here are some photos from the other company, in England:
http://www.clear-water-revival.com/

[aylad]

Yeah, we have a ton of snapping turtles too-- but what is a "toe biter"??

Jan

[PoolDoc]

A giant water bug:

If you want to know more, this blog has an interesting account: http://somethingscrawlinginmyhair.co...ant-water-bug/
Also, here: http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/hemipt/Toebiter.htm , and here: http://dermatology.cdlib.org/DOJvol4...rus/letho.html

Like many types of water bugs, they can fly. So, if you have a hospitable body of water, they are likely to visit. Many water bugs can bite or sting, but bugs are notable for the high level of pain they can inflict.

[Watermom]

Yeah, those pools are beautiful but I'd have a hard time enjoying myself in a pool where I couldn't see what else might be in there with me. I don't even get in my own pool at night unless I first shine a flashlight down in there or light the torches to make sure I won't have any 'company'! As Ben knows, I'm not 'zactly' a critter type of gal!

[CarlD]

I notice several of them clearly have water vegetation the way a pond or stream that's safe to swim in has. I'm guessing they act as natural filters the way they do in the wild. Plus, only those of us in Northern climes would, I guess, match the European ponds and streams, but .... you couldn't tell this winter. There is a house near where I grew up that had a natural swimming pool...a stream ran into a pond and from the pond into the pool. But by the early 1960's the pool had been long ago closed and was full of the usual detritus--branches, tree limbs, leaves. I guess it was from early in the 20th century. Satellite photos show that it was filled in, but I haven't been by there in a couple of years...and haven't looked at the property since the early 70's. I have no idea if it actually worked as a pool when it was new.

[aylad]

I notice several of them clearly have water vegetation the way a pond or stream that's safe to swim in has. I'm guessing they act as natural filters the way they do in the wild. .

Yeah, my koi pond does too, but I'm not getting in it either!

Jan

[PoolDoc]

I've been looking for water quality information on such pools, and finally found some:

Natural Swimming Pools in Lower Saxony
Ernst-August Heinemeyer, Health Authority of Lower Saxony, Aurich, Germany

Experience with a „natural tropic pool”
Christiane Höller and Schindler P., Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Germany

A Model for Risk Assessment for Small-scale Bathing Ponds
Franz Mascher1, Pichler-Semmelrock P.2, Reinthaler F.1, and Marth E.1, 1Institute of Hygiene, Medical-University, Graz; 2Federal Government of Steiermark, Austria

A quote from the first article is sufficient to show that such pools are not 'home-free' when it comes to sanitation:

Amounts of P. aeruginosa exceeding the limits were detected in almost every natural swimming pool, in some pools on a regular basis

All articles have been archived at Swimming Pool Research, so if the links die, I can restore them.

[waterbear]

No surprise here as far as I am concerned.

[JimK]

I dunno--some of the pics you've posted are absolutely beautiful--but if they were down here they'd also be full of snakes and bullfrogs.....I have a pool in order to NOT have to guess what I'm swimming with!!

Jan

+1

Yeah, those pools are beautiful but I'd have a hard time enjoying myself in a pool where I couldn't see what else might be in there with me. I don't even get in my own pool at night unless I first shine a flashlight down in there or light the torches to make sure I won't have any 'company'! As Ben knows, I'm not 'zactly' a critter type of gal!

Same here. For some reason spiders love to get in our pool at night. If I want to get in at night I have to turn on the light first and scoop them out, and while I'm in there I'm constantly scanning the surface for more. Not exactly very relaxing.