Total Habitat built this Natural Swimming Pool/Pond in 2001 in Wichita, Kansas. This pool/pond is an example of our "Essentials Plus" design: Our most economical model, plus just one load of geology (large rocks around the pond & low-profile waterfall). Essentials Plus pool/ponds have been built for around $49,000 (thanks largely to that single load of geology)! 

View this video on youtube instead:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KD-Ys1zwGc&feature=youtu.be

This Total Habitat Natural Swimming Pool/Pond (NSP) was built in 2008 in Wichita, Kansas. This NSP is nearly 8 feet deep, with two low-profile waterfalls, a pebble beach entry, and lots of beautiful geology! Unlike our Essentials Plus model, this pool/pond's biological filtration system is not built behind a bio-filter retaining wall (an underwater wall surrounding the swimming area). Instead, the biological filtration system in this pool/pond is completely hidden from view in the walls and floor!

View this video on youtube instead:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwpFLEuj8DA&feature=youtu.be

Update: The Total Habitat crew is busy working on the new Chinese Garden addition to the Botanica Gardens of Wichita, KS. Our part of the project includes a winding holey boulder stream, pond, and holey boulder mountain. Though this project may look quite different from our Natural Swimming Pool/Ponds (NSP's), the biological filtration system we've built into this stream is exactly the same as in our NSP's! 

Update: The Total Habitat crew is busy working on the new Chinese Garden addition to the Botanica Gardens of Wichita, KS. Our part of the project includes a winding holey boulder stream, pond, and holey boulder mountain. Though this project may look quite different from our Natural Swimming Pool/Ponds (NSP's), the biological filtration system we've built into this stream is exactly the same as in our NSP's! 

Check out these photos of a stunning new Natural Swimming Pool/Pond (NSP) in Texas! This NSP was built using our How-To eBook, Natural Swimming Pools/Ponds: The Total Guide, 2nd Edition, and a little hands-on help from us. Thanks to the homeowner for sending us these awesome pics: keep em' coming folks! 

Hi all! Now introducing the brand new Natural Swimming Pool & Pond Photo Gallery! It's packed with photos of Total Habitat pools and ponds from around the country, including two of our 2013 NSP's.

Call for Photos: Hey there Natural Swimming Pool & Pond owners! We are calling on you to share your NSP photos with us and the rest of the Total Habitat Blog Community. We want it all: Whether it's a pic of you/your family enjoying the pool, a snapshot of visiting wildlife, or simply your view of the pool from your kitchen window. Just send your photographs (with a caption if you want one) to sophia@totalhabitat.com.

New NSP's (Natural Swimming Pools & Ponds)
In a rainforest, nothing goes to waste: every dead leaf, every nutrient is consumed by something else. It is the most intense and interconnected ecosystem on the planet. In an NSP, we are trying to grow this same rich, diverse environment on a smaller scale- in your own backyard and in a very short period of time. A properly designed, mature NSP hosts a thriving community of beneficial bacteria that is ready to consume (and eliminate) any contaminate that comes into the water, be it ecoli, suntan oils, skin cells, fish waste, etc.  Growing this system can take 1-2 years. 

In the meantime, there are a couple of simple things you can do to help keep the system healthy when it's at its most vulnerable: Maintaining pH (at 7.2) helps us to grow the right set of bacteria and safeguards against algae. If pH is maintained and you still have an algae issue, then try these safe ways to eliminate algae without killing off the existing ecosystem (which includes beneficial bacteria, plants, and fish):

1. Use safe dyes (algae needs sunlight to grow, so "shading" the water with dyes may solve it)
2. Add some fish (feed them very little or no food at all, and they will eat up the algae)
     *Note: Algae needs nutrients like fish food and plant fertilizer to survive, so try eliminating fish food and be careful with 
       fertilizer (check out our "Water Lily Planting Guide" blog post for how to responsibly use fertilizer in the water)
3. Try barley straw or barley straw extract (this is an all-natural algaecide that won't harm fish, plants, or swimmers)
4. Eliminate stagnant water (we want water flowing constantly throughout the system)

So, NSP Owners:  Have you had any issues with algae? What methods did you use to eliminate it? Have another topic you'd like to talk about? (Let me know and I will start a post for it).

Here are some photos of one of our 2013 NSP's that features our newly developed, more economical building plan. This smarter building strategy allows for a beautiful, naturalistic pool using only one big load of boulders. Though economical, the pool has plenty of swimming space and is packed with features, such as a walk-in beach, small waterfall, a pier, and a deep end for diving. 

Welcome to our brand new website and Natural Swimming Pool Blog! Our new site features more photographs of our past projects, a Frequently Asked Questions page and a Let's Get Started page for our Natural Swimming Pools, and more ways to get in touch with us and get your questions answered!