2011/2.1, February 9 — Natural Pools, Ripples, Traditional Gardens and more

February 9, 2011

WATERSHAPES.COM

FEATURE ARTICLE

Natural Pools: Safe for Swimming?

BioNova President and CEO James Robyn observes that ‘mammals evolved…over millions of years both drinking and swimming in water that was clarified and purified naturally in ponds, streams, rivers and freshwater wetlands.’ Still, just how safe is it to swim in pools with water treated by biological processes instead of chemicals? [more]

FLAMBOYANT BRIT FILLS POOL
WITH BOOZE, AMERICAN ARTIST DOES SAME WITH DIET COLA [more]

STATEMENT

Clean Water for Kenyan Orphans

WaterShapes editor Eric Herman reports that the orphanage in Kenya founded by Dr. Carolyn Rowley — who is also vice president and chief financial officer at the watershape-control manufacturer Gilderfluke & Co. — recently finished drilling a much-needed well to bring potable water to the facility’s residents and staff. [more]

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Who First Crawled to Victory?

A swimming competition held in London in 1844 marked the first time British swimmers witnessed the crawl stroke. Who performed the crawl at the event, swimming to victory?

Chinese swimmers
Native American swimmers
Brazilian swimmers
Australian swimmers

To see the correct answer, click here.

BOOK NOTES

Distinctive Touches, Big Impact

In his review of Traditional Garden Decor by Robin Langley Sommer, Mike Farley writes that this far-ranging book ‘is beautifully illustrated and demonstrates just how exciting some of the simplest things can be no matter the style or the form of the specific decorative touch being applied.’ [more]

AQURON

(Rockwall, TX) offers Concrete Pool Shell Protector (CPSP), a non-hazardous, user-friendly, permanent, clear treatment/preservative/ sealant solution for new or old concrete watershapes. The material includes a highly reactive catalytic agent in a colloidal silicate base, which produces a silica-hydro gel below the surface and inside the concrete that seals the matrix and preserves its imbedded steel. [more]

COVER-POOLS

(Salt Lake City, UT) manufactures Step-Saver, a manual reel cover made for easy daily use. It uses no straps, sandbags or anchors to hold it in place. Instead, it uses the same low-profile track system as the company’s automatic covers, offering all the benefits of a motorized safety cover at a much lower cost. It can also be upgraded to an automatic format at a later date as the client desires. [more]

ZODIAC POOL SYSTEMS

(Vista, CA) has introduced the Polaris 9300xi Sport, a robotic cleaner for inground pools. Designed with a high-capacity filter canister, the unit features a powerful vacuum system that picks up larger debris quickly while maintaining maximum suction throughout the cleaning cycle and can be operated in an automated cleaning mode or as directed by a hand-held remote control. [more]

KENNETH LYNCH & SONS

(Oxford, CT) offers a range of sculptural fountains for use as centerpieces or accents in landscape designs. The products include Rain Trees, which are made by hand in copper and bronze and feature copper leaves plumbed as waterfeatures. These sculptures are intended to stand within basins made using the company’s pool curbing and can be customized to suit any setting. [more]