Aquatic Health
Healing troubled bodies of water is an opportunity to make a positive impact on both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, explains Ed Beaulieu, and elevate the human experience in the process. Using this project as a prime example, a set of ponds owned by an A-list celebrity and activist was transformed from a morbid state of deterioration to a vibrant ecological asset.
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While reports of this year’s gigantic seaweed blob have stoked interest for its novel size and odiferous nuisance, a new report defines a relationship between seaweed and microplastic waste that engenders a deadly bacteria, posing a possibly devasting threat to sea life and people.
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Access to swimming pools is an essential factor in learning to swim. As obvious as that may seem, social and economic barriers have for decades prevented many underprivileged groups from sharing in the benefits of aquatic sports. Swim instructor, Robert Trotman, spent more than a half century working to change that.
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Is reusing water for irrigation, industry, construction and even drinking a viable solution to water shortages? In a purely practical sense, reports Eric Herman, the answer is a resounding yes; but, when it comes to public perception, there are big hurdles waiting be to overcome.
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The list of known benefits of swimming continues to grow in rapid leaps and bounds. Recent research now indicates that swimming may foster neurogenesis -- the growth of new neurons in the brain -- new cognitive connections, and increased mental acuity. The evidence is so compelling, swimming is arguably the true “Fountain of Youth.”
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Ongoing drought is always an existential threat to the watershaping industry, even though, as industry veterans, Scott Cohen and Eric Herman point out, pools use little water compared to planted landscapes and provide a spectrum of benefits that bolster individual health and society at large.
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As the drought drags on through the summer months, concerns over saving water are rising, and are now prompting southwestern cities and counties to implement water-conservation restrictions targeting pools. Fortunately, argues Tom Dankel, solid covers dramatically reduce evaporation and are a front-line asset in the fight to keep pools in use.
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Among the many challenges facing the pool industry, a shortage of lifeguards is keeping thousands of public pools across the country from opening. One possible solution may be to look to senior citizens as a possible source to fill the gap. After all, being a lifeguard is not restricted to the young.
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Generating quality water conditions should be a primary objective in all watershape designs, asserts Steve Kenny. Raising the bar, he says, means turning to a systems-based approach to water treatment that involves all aspects and components of watershape systems that move, filter, test, heat, balance, sanitize and contain water.
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As drought increases in frequency and severity, all the while the demand for affordable food sources rise with growing populations, the need for efficient farming practices becomes ever more urgent. One technique, aquaponics, might just be part of the answer, and could be a possible growth opportunity for watershapers.
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