A Pool for Purists
What if you could have the experience of swimming in your very own backyard pond— but without the algae, lily pads, murky water and general ick that often accompany pond swimming? Karan Cole and her partner, Richard Rubin, have just…more
What if you could have the experience of swimming in your very own backyard pond— but without the algae, lily pads, murky water and general ick that often accompany pond swimming? Karan Cole and her partner, Richard Rubin, have just that in their man-made natural pool set on six acres of lush backyard property in Monkton.
Far from simply a regular swimming pool made to look natural with the addition of boulders and a waterfall, Cole and Rubin’s natural pool is a balanced mini-ecosystem. In other words: no chlorine. “We wanted to use as few chemicals and keep it as low-tech as we could. I’m a barefoot wooded girl at heart,” says Cole, whose dream it was to have a swimming hole in her backyard much like the one she swam in at Oregon Ridge as a young girl.
Natural swimming pools, an eco-friendly alternative to the conventional tiled and chlorinated backyard pool, have long been popular in Europe and are starting to gain popularity in the United States. Like most natural swimming pools, Cole and Rubin’s relies on aquatic plants and animals, a pump system and a bi-monthly dose of barley, which provides healthy bacteria that combat unhealthy bacteria algae growth, to keep the water clean.
Stefan German, a habitat restoration specialist, and Erik Wicklein, an ornamental pond builder who owns Wicklein’s Water Gardens, created the 72-by-32-foot pool by digging a hole in the ground, laying down a rubber lining to prevent seepage and installing natural rock formations. The bottom of the pool is slate and along the edges of the pool, gravel beds called regeneration zones house various aquatic plants that provide oxygen for the mini-ecosystem. A healthy dose of tadpoles, dragonflies, frogs, toads, water spiders— and the occasional water snake— also live in the pool.
“I know the day will come when I find I am swimming with something,” says Cole, who uses the pool to swim laps daily. “Hopefully, not the 20-inch-long snapping turtle we found farther up our stream!”
Cole and Rubin’s man-made natural pool— which is in use from April to October— fits in with the feel of their property, with its lily pad-spotted pond, meadow grasses and natural stream. It provides “a constant sense of beauty and peace,” says Cole. “It tastes good, it feels good— it’s heavenly. It’s a visual and sensual treat.”
Wicklein’s Water Gardens, 410-823-1335, http://www.wickleinswatergardens.com
Stefan German, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
