Yes. When properly designed and maintained, natural swimming pools provide safe water for swimming.

Instead of sterilising water with chemicals such as chlorine, natural pools maintain water quality by removing the nutrients that allow harmful organisms to multiply. This is the same principle that keeps many lakes, mountain streams, and other natural freshwater systems clean.

In a well-balanced aquatic ecosystem, beneficial microbes break down organic matter and prevent conditions that allow harmful pathogens to thrive. Combined with good circulation and filtration, this creates water that is biologically balanced and safe for swimming.

Freshwater bathing standards around the world recognise that water does not need to be sterile to be safe. The key is maintaining a stable ecological balance where harmful organisms cannot dominate.

A natural swimming pool uses biological filtration instead of chemical disinfectants to maintain clean, balanced water.

In nature, water is purified by microorganisms, plants, minerals, and natural circulation. A natural pool recreates and enhances these processes within a carefully engineered system.

Water is continuously circulated through specialised biological filters where beneficial microbes remove nutrients and organic matter that would otherwise feed algae or harmful bacteria. Minerals and biological activity help maintain balanced water conditions.

The result is fresh, living water that remains clear without chlorine or harsh synthetic chemicals.

No. Many of the same maintenance tasks associated with a conventional chlorine pool still apply, such as backwashing filters every two weeks and using a pool robot to collect debris from the bottom of the pool, or manually vacuuming the pool once a week.

That said, we pride ourselves on the fact that our system is far more effective than many traditional natural pools that rely mainly on planted wetlands with slow water movement and less engineered circulation. Our approach uses a carefully designed hydraulic system, with highly efficient pumps that run at exceptionally low power and slow speeds for around 90% of the time, then automatically ramp up to much higher speeds in short bursts. These boost cycles are designed to push the vast majority of debris in the swimming area toward floor drains and skimmers.

A great deal of thought has gone into the details of keeping the swimming zone clean. Our system is exceptionally effective at keeping the water column clear and the pool free of suspended debris while still preserving the feel and benefits of natural water. Where natural water differs from a chlorine pool is on the submerged surfaces: these will naturally and inevitably develop a light, slimy biofilm over time, and this needs to be brushed off roughly once a week.

Natural pools typically have a higher upfront cost than basic chlorine pools but lower long-term operating costs.

Conventional pools require continuous purchases of chlorine and other chemicals to suppress algae and bacteria. Over time, nutrients accumulate in the water, which can make maintaining balance increasingly difficult and expensive.

Natural pools approach water quality differently by removing nutrients and supporting stable biological filtration. This creates a long-term solution that is more sustainable and typically less expensive to operate over the life of the pool.

The total cost depends on the size, design, and equipment used, but natural pools are generally comparable in price to high-end conventional pool installations.

Over the last 20 years, the chlorination of drinking water has been associated with the discovery of around 600 toxic disinfection by-products. The principal compounds, chloramines and trihalomethanes, are now regulated in many countries and are widely recognised as harmful, with trihalomethanes also identified as carcinogenic. However, these substances make up only a fraction of the total range of disinfection by-products. Other groups, such as halonitromethanes (HNMs), haloamides, and iodo-DBPs, are increasingly being found to be even more cytotoxic and genotoxic, meaning they can harm cells and damage DNA. This raises concerns about the continued portrayal of swimming pools as purely beneficial for health, given that swimmers may also be exposed to unregulated toxic chemicals with potential health consequences, particularly for pregnant women and children.

Increasing research into the human microbiome is revealing how important microbial balance is for our health.

Our skin, like our gut, hosts a complex ecosystem of microorganisms that play an important role in protecting the body and maintaining healthy immune function. Scientists are increasingly recognising that excessive sterilisation can disrupt these natural microbial communities.

Chlorinated pools are designed to kill microorganisms, whereas natural pools support a balanced aquatic ecosystem.

While natural pools are not intended as medical treatments, many swimmers report that the water feels softer and more comfortable on the skin, and that they experience fewer issues with dry skin, eye irritation, or respiratory discomfort.

For many people, the experience simply feels more like swimming in a clean natural lake or mountain stream.

Yes. Natural pools can be heated in the same way as conventional pools using heat pumps, solar heating, or other heating technologies.

Water temperatures of up to around 30°C are typically achievable.

As with any heated pool, a pool cover is strongly recommended to retain heat and minimise evaporation losses.

Natural pools are not nearly as water-hungry as many people assume. In most cases, they do not use significantly more water than conventional pools. Evaporation remains the main source of water loss, especially in hot, dry, and windy conditions. Because natural pools include planted areas, there is also a small amount of transpiration, which is the natural release of water vapour by plants, but this is relatively minor compared with evaporation and does not make a substantial difference to overall water use.

That said, the total surface area of a natural pool, including both the swim zone and the wetland, is often somewhat larger than that of a conventional pool. As a result, total evaporation can be slightly higher overall. This is one reason why pool covers can play an important role in reducing water loss, particularly during peak summer.

One trade-off of the higher level of automation in our system, which keeps the water exceptionally clear and significantly reduces maintenance, is that it uses filters that require periodic backwashing. The backwash water does not need to be wasted. It can either be diverted for irrigation and sent directly into the garden, or, as part of the system, we can install a 500-litre backwash tank that allows the water to be recovered and recycled back into the pool.

Yes, but the water source must first be tested.

Borehole water varies widely in quality and may contain elevated levels of iron, manganese, phosphates, or other minerals that could affect water clarity. In some cases pre-filtration may be required.

Rainwater can also be used if it is collected and stored correctly. Systems such as first-flush diverters help prevent debris and nutrient contamination from entering storage tanks.

We typically evaluate available water sources during the design process.

A natural pool will attract birds, dragon flies, frogs, water snails and many other forms of life that are beneficial to the pool ecosystem, your garden and the planet. There is no greater risk of snakes or dangerous wildlife in a natural pool than there would be in say a pristine mountain pool or lake.