Recreation/Swim Ponds

A recreational swim pond is a natural pond that is also used for recreational purposes such as swimming and paddling. It is designed to imitate a natural body of water in the wild with irregular shapes, rocks, waterfalls, and boulders. Recreational swim ponds are usually divided into two areas: one area for vegetation and the other area for swimming.

The vegetation area is usually more shallow, about a foot deep, to accommodate your water plants. The swimming section can range anywhere from 6 to 8 feet deep. A recreational swim pond gives you the best of both worlds. It is a beautiful landscaping feature for your Dallas, Southlake, Westlake, Keller, North Texas (TX) area backyard, and it's a great place for you and your family to swim and to learn more about nature.

You may be thinking that a recreational swim pond couldn't possibly be very clean, if you aren't adding chemicals to it like you do with a swimming pool. In fact, they are cleaner than you think. Ponds naturally clean themselves.

Having plants such as flag irises and water lilies not only make your pond look lovely, but they also keep the phosphate levels of your water in check while also getting rid of the nitrates. This will help to ensure that you have no messy algae in your pond. The gravel on the bed of your pond will also act as a filtering agent to keep it clean.

By installing either a beautiful waterfall or a small pump, you will be keeping the water moving in your pond, and moving water will also ensure that your pond stays fresh and clean.

Depending on the size of recreational swim pond that you want and the complexity of your design, your initial investment may be slightly higher than installing a traditional swimming pool of the same size, however due to the low ongoing maintenance costs, you will save money over time.

This is because a recreational swim pond requires much less maintenance than a swimming pool. For example, unlike pool liners, recreational swim pond liners do not need to be replaced. On average, an in-ground vinyl swimming pool liner can cost anywhere from $1,000-$3,500. This is a considerable savings.

In addition, you won't need to be constantly purchasing costly chemicals to keep the water in your recreational pond clean. A recreational swim pond naturally cleans itself.

You also won't need to be constantly testing the water to make sure that the chemical balances are safe for swimming. You can save on your energy bills too as recreational ponds are not heated and because they are not heated, they won't evaporate as much as a pool meaning you will save on water costs as well.

A recreational swim pond could cost between $90,000 and $110,000 for up to 100 sq ft. That would give you a swimming area of about 30 ft by 15 ft. The overall price will vary depending on whether you want to include a liner, the pond location, soil type, complexity of design, etc.

An in-ground pool can cost on average between $37,000 and $67,000, but with higher end designs costing upwards of $100,000. Basic maintenance of your pool can add between $1,200 and $1,800 a year and additional repairs and utilities cost can add another $1,800 to $3,200 a year.

Recreational swim ponds require very little maintenance and considerably less than a swimming pool. You don't have to add chemicals, you don't have to test it, and you don't have to cover it during the winter. In fact, you could use your recreational swim pond as an ice rink, if it gets cold enough, to give you even another season of great family fun.

You basically look after your pond as you would your garden and just make sure that the surface debris is skimmed off before you go swimming.

A big bonus of a recreational swim pond is that it will attract wildlife such as dragon flies, birds, and tadpoles that in turn will help you control annoying insects. If you want to make sure that snakes are not attracted to your pond, then you should keep the grass around it cut short.

Recreational swim ponds are just starting to trend in North America and for very good reason. Europe however, has been enjoying the benefits of recreational ponds since they were first introduced in the 1980s. Recreational ponds are "green" or more environmentally friendly than traditional swimming pools which has added to their increasing popularity.

People are definitely more environmentally conscious these days, so having a pond that doesn’t use chemicals that are harmful to the environment is a big plus, in the areas of Dallas, Southlake, Westlake, Keller, North Texas (TX).

In order to make sure that your recreational swim pond remains chemical-free and properly filtered for optimal swimming, you can install a high-quality water filtration system called "Wetland" or "Biological" filtration like the one available from Aquascape.