re: Natural Pools - the next backyard project

I like the look of it actually.

But I think'd only work in cool/dry climates. The Gulf South and Eastern Texas is too warm and humid for this. It would become a mossy pond and attract reptiles and amphibians. Even with a filter, which I think would get clogged. Just personal experience growing up in Houston and seeing what happens to pools.

The one thing no one has mentioned is silt. Because the bottom is gravel/pebbles, you couldn't use a pool sucker machine (sorry, don't know the technical name) because it would get clogged with rocks. Because of that, any leaves that get blown in there would just rot on the bottom, becoming a layer of silt over time. So then there's no difference between this and an aerated pond!

The way to do it would be to put in a no-edge dark-stained bottom salt pool. That way you get the look, without the chlorine, but it wouldn't become a pond. Those dark bottom pools are pretty sweet - you get the cool, relaxing, natural feeling, but it isn't a mosquito breeding giant lilly-pad.