Natural Pool in Bisbee, Arizona

New Natural Pool in Bisbee, Arizona

8/10/2023

Built in 2022-2023 in Bisbee, Arizona, this natural pool features our usual built-in biological filtration system which surrounds a central swimming area. The NSP is 52,000 gallons (1800 square feet), 6 feet deep, with an overall size of about 58' x 44'. Fun fact: During a particularly brutal summer heatwave, water temps in this natural pool reached as high as 86 degrees with no negative impacts on the plants, fish or the bio-filter!

5 Comments

Teknik Telekomunikasi link

1/23/2024 11:46:19 pm

What makes the New Natural Pool in Bisbee unique compared to other swimming spots in the area? Greeting : <a href="https://sas.telkomuniversity.ac.id/en/">Telkom University</a>

N Weaver

5/28/2024 12:33:48 pm

Aside from chlorinated swimming pools, the only natural swimming areas are seasonal mountain pools that fill during summer monsoons, with one exception that maintains a reasonable level year round. These do require hiking.

Sterling

2/17/2026 03:47:00 pm

What are the major challenges in construction and maintenance of a natural pool in a desert climate like this?

N Weaver

2/17/2026 05:56:12 pm

The construction was fun and challenging, and much easier thanks to the insight and participation of the Total Habitat crew. It helped a lot that I had a contractor who was interested in and capable of the work.

When it comes to maintenance, first, you have to accept that you will be adding water, particularly when it’s windy, due to evaporation. I made some changes to the original configuration by filling most of the shallow areas with logs, plants and rocks, so there is much less shallow area exposed to wind and sun. This may not be quite as pretty and the pond looks smaller, but there’s less evaporation. I had hopes this would also help with the second maintenance challenge, string algae. I’m still not fully on top of that, although the water is clear, the fishes and turtle seem happy, and it is not completely out if control. I use a bacteria ball, algecide and a small pond rake and expect someday to have found the perfect balance. You don’t want to eliminate all the algae at once as this can stress the fish, but you also don’t want to wait too long to address it since it can grow very fast. I should send Mick some current photos.

Sterling

2/18/2026 10:06:27 am

Thanks for the speedy and thorough response. I wondered about evaporation and how that may throw off the ecosystem if consistently adding so much water (perhaps stressing plants with different water chemistries and water levels). I want to build a living pool where I live in Salt Lake City, a similar climate, and I estimate about 4,500 gallons lost annually for a very small (160sf) pool due to evaporation. So collecting and treating rainwater is now an important part of my plan to help offset the water loss from evaporation.

Do you think the winter dormancy of the plants has caused the algae spike? I wonder what can be done to prevent that, I suppose, like you noted, just more life in the pond over the years will strike that perfect balance.

New Natural Pool in Bisbee, Arizona

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