Make a Splash: Natural Swimming Pools

Enlarge Image Image Gallery In Europe, natural pools are an increasingly popular alternative to ­chemically maintained pools. Photo Courtesy Biotop

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In Europe, where nude beaches are common and pragmatism is par for the course, it was only a matter of time before pools went au naturel. Natural pools, a clever, chemical-free mix of water garden and the swimming hole you remember as a child, have been mellowing out homeowners on the other side of the Atlantic for fifteen years.

Water plants foster the growth of beneficial microorganisms that kill bacteria and keep natural pools clean enough to comply with the European Union’s strict water quality standards. The plant portion, or regeneration zone, is separated from the swimming area by a wall concealed a few inches below the water’s surface. Sunlight heats the water in the regeneration zone naturally, and the warm water gradually filters into the two-meter-deep swimming area. A synthetic pool liner keeps the whole thing from leaking.

Biotop, an Austrian company, pioneered the concept in 1985 and has been perfecting it ever since. Along with thirty-six partners in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and England, the company has installed more than 1,500 natural pools. Tim and Tish Rickard and their two sons, Jack and Tom, became England’s first natural pool owners in October 2001. “I’m one of nature’s optimists,” Tim says. “If we were rich and famous, the pool would be as big as possible.” The family stumbled across chemical-free swimming while searching for ways to rehabilitate a pond on their Gloucester County farm.

As of late January, fifteen-year-old Jack was the only person to brave the Rickard’s new natural pool—the rest of the family was still waiting for warmer weather. “We’re happy in principle, but the plants haven’t begun to grow yet,” Tim says. “They should come up in spring, but Biotop still doesn’t know if it will work at this altitude.” (In general, a natural pool should be ready for use about sixty days after planting.) Tim feels fairly confident, however, that the family’s venture will succeed given Biotop’s track record in Austria and the company’s slow but steady expansion in other European countries.

Natural pools: what you need to know

• The minimum size for a natural pool is forty square meters, with half of any pool dedicated to regeneration. That means you’ll need twice the space as a traditional pool for an equivalent  swimming area. There are no limits for larger pools.

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