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| NSP-Ecohome |
You step out of your Point Grey house and stroll
down to the Hydrogenase Hub at Kits Beach in Vancouver. You’re heading out to
visit your ecologist friend Michael, who has been renovating his property on Galiano
Island. You helped him design his place, which included an outdoor natural swimming
pool. The work is finished and Michael’s invited you
over to see what they’ve accomplished.
You reach the floating station, which serves as an algal
farm to capture biological fuel. At the gate, you give your personal landing
coordinates and then board a Hydrogenase airship--essentially a
tall seed-shaped "algal balloon". You settle
in one of the viewing rooms with a Chai latte. Because the
Hydrogenase can effortlessly land and take off in the roughest terrains, their
service includes "on demand" to "your doorstep". This is a
good thing, you ponder, given that many people live in more remote
locations--like Michael. The sleek
vessel glides over Georgia Strait toward the Gulf Islands and you watch the
view, reflecting on the history of NSPs in North America.
You consider that your mom would be delighted at the present statistics. In 2014, only one commercial NSP existed in North America. Today, just two decades later, it’s hard to find one chlorinated pool amid the thousands of private and commercial NSPs in North America. And why not? Old fashioned pools relied on chlorine and other harsh chemicals to maintain sterile, algae-free water. They lacked character or aesthetics. Research showed that chlorine-treated swimming pools caused asthma and other breathing problems in swimmers. Chlorine was also hard on the skin and hair. Swimming in a chlorinated pool often left you with itchy red eyes, dry skin or wanting a shower. NSPs provide excellent water quality through chemical-free water treatment; they create habitat for wildlife and flora and the maintenance costs are far less than the old conventional pools.
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| NSP Robins Nest Aquatics |
The Hydrogenase descends to a clearing past the end of Bodega Beach Road on Galiano. You spot Michael waiting in the clearing. The hydrogenase briefly touches down to let you off and Michael greets you with a rakish smile. He's happy to see you and show off his new creation. Michael leads you along a forested path to his summer property near the northern cliffs of the island, overlooking Porlier Pass and Georgia Strait.
You both wander to the pool and you bend down on your knees to look into the deepness of the sparkling clear water.
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| NSP schematic |
Natural swimming pools are balanced living aquatic ecosystems, you reflect. They are designed to look and function like a natural pond. Plants, microorganisms and nutrients together create what's called “living water”. Michael points to a water strider, dancing over the water surface--a sign that the water is clean and "alive".
The regeneration zone maintains the water quality in Michael's natural swimming pool. It connects to the open swim zone through an ongoing circulation system. Water flows out of the swimming area via overflow channels through biological filters that catch large debris and particulate matter before reaching the regeneration zone. A circulation pump then draws the water out of the regeneration zone through layers of gravel substrate and returns it, pristine but living, back to the swimming area.
It's Nature's elegance at its best, you think; according to architect Thomas Woltz, embracing the complexity of modern life while seeking meaning and narrative in both natural and man-made environments.
The regeneration zone relies on the surface area of the plants’ roots and the gravel substrate to create a home for beneficial
bacteria
that filter the water. You recognize floating, emergent
and submerged plants: water lily, sedges, rushes and grasses. And below the
surface, you see the fluorescent green whorles of Ceratophyllum, a rooted submerged plant that
helps oxygenate the water.
You
stand up and scan the whole set up. At
the edge of the regeneration zone, the natural look continues with a wetland gradient of native plants that thrive in the periodically inundated soil. They provide a rich habitat for birds, dragonflies, frogs, turtles, newts, and a host of
other fauna, some of which
share the swimming pool with fellow swimmers. Michael, who is an avid
birder, points to the cattails, where some blackbirds have already made nests.
He tells you that he spied a wood duck checking out the pond yesterday.
You
ask him if he is pleased and know what he will answer from his zealous grin.
You glimpse a dragonfly and follow its irregular path into
the cattails. Twenty
years ago, when NSPs first gained popularity in North America, you recall the concern over mosquitoes and other nasty insects. But the moving water and the natural predators of
mosquito larvae that live in the chlorine-free water make natural swimming
pools practically mosquito free. In fact, researchers found that NSPs actually
helped reduce the population of stinging insects by attracting dragonflies and
other natural predators of fully developed mosquitoes.
You
remember your mom lamenting twenty years ago about people's lack of ecological
knowledge and connection to the environment. A lot has happened in twenty
years, you consider. Today, no one would think to use nasty chemicals in the
water to kill everything; people somehow have learned to cherish life more. All
life. Including the frogs and that little water strider for their role in
providing a healthy ecosystem.
The prefix eco- means "home". So,
taking care
of our ecosystem is really like taking care of our
"home", where we live and belong. Natural swimming pools are just one
example.
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| Kevin Klassen |
Michael
grins with sudden inspiration. "Kevin, let's go for a swim!" he says. You
nod. Why not? Can't leave it to the frogs.
Resources:
Do it Yourself:
Builders of Natural Swimming Pools:
EU:
• Biotop since 1984 with more than 3,500 satisfied customers. Their
partner network covers 17 countries. Head Office: Austria www.biotop-natural-pool.com
• BioNova® is a global network of Partners on 6 continents who work
synergistically to push the state-of-the-art of Natural Swimming Pool design,
construction, aesthetics and maintenance. Head Office: Munich www.bionovanaturalpools.com
UK:
• Woodhouse Natural Pools with BIOTOP™ have been developing and building
naturally filtered swimming pools in the UK since 2000: www.naturalswimmingpools.com
France:
U.S.
Canada:
New
Zealand:
South
Africa:
•
www.naturalswimmingpools.co.za nice
designs!
Nina Munteanu is an
ecologist and internationally published author of novels, short stories and
essays. She coaches writers and teaches writing at George Brown College and the
University of Toronto. For more about Nina’s coaching & workshops visit www.ninamunteanu.me. Visit www.ninamunteanu.ca for more about her writing.
