Jim

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Atlantic Water Gardens Introduces Fiberglass Basalt Columns
Atlantic Water Gardens (Mantua, OH) has introduced fiberglass replicas of basalt columns for use as…
A Graveling Experience
As was mentioned a few episodes back, in designing this particular pond we settled on a filtration system that made the most sense for the setting and the situation - and now it's time to show you how we install its permanent gravel bed. As the video shows, it's a straightforward process of rinsing the material to get rid of as much dust as possible and doing what I can to cull any smaller-than-desired chunks of gravel that might
Test Your Knowledge #78
New Subspecies of Animal Found In Colombian Swimming Pool 
The Preservation Arts
I've written quite a bit - and, I think, with passion - about the need to preserve and protect our cultural heritage as it relates to watershapes (click here, for one recent example).  There are plenty of grand public pools, classic fountains and even some architecturally significant residential watershapes that
Nightmares Under Foot
In many parts of the country, it's not uncommon to encounter the unexpected when you start digging to make way for a swimming pool or some other watershape.  There might be field stone, a rock ledge, a buried outcropping or even hardpan.  Depending on the size, depth and extent of these stony intrusions, running into any of them can, as the video linked below suggests, take a homeowner's budget expectations and throw them right out the window. And it's not just rock that can be a hidden issue:  Various types of soil can be problematic, as can the groundwater level in the
Ripples #89
Compiled and Written by Lenny Giteck New Study: Urinating in Pools Poses Serious Health Dangers 
2014/4.1, April 9 — A Wetland Wonder, Italy’s Fountains, Better Vanishing-Edge Walls and more
April 9, 2014 www.watershapes.com ESSENTIAL All About the Water Specialists in land planning for large-scale…
Ripples #88
Compiled and written by Lenny Giteck Two New Brouhahas About Proper Swimming Attire in Public Pools 
#12: Equipment Room
For the most part, the equipment sets that power pool and spa systems are placed outdoors in spaces near their watershapes.  Maybe that's behind a gate along the side of the house, or behind some shrubs or a wall in a corner of the yard.  Wherever they go, these equipment clusters should be positioned so that the noise made by various motors and pumps isn't so pronounced that it
A Prairie Experience
It's been a number of years since I've managed to visit Chicago, but I want to get back sometime soon.  After all, I have yet to see the Crown Fountain in person (let alone the rest of Millennium Park), and I haven't visited the Chicago Botanic Garden in more than 30 years! The last time I was in the Windy City with any time to spare, it was 2002 and I was attending