Counteracting high evaporation rate in natural pools?

Posts: 62

Location: Off grid in the central Rockies of Montana (at 6300') zone 3-4ish

posted 12 years ago

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Hello David, I live in Montana(zone 4) and we only get about 12"- 14" of precipitation a year, only water source is rain and solar pumped well. I have always wanted a small pond/natural pool. I would love to see your video. I would like know if our evaporation rate is to high for a natural pool or if you can do things like build in shady area to counter act issues like this? Also our frost level is 6' deep. Any info would be appriciated. Thanks much

David Pagan Butler

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Posts: 31

posted 12 years ago

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Hi Dave, there are several ways to reduce evaporation. Reduce the surface area to volume ratio of the pool. Reduce the air flow over the water i.e keep the wind off with hedges and fences. Have a lot of surface covering plants with floating leaves - like water lilies. Keep the temperature of the water as low as possible by having the pool a greater depth. Also careful care of pool edge construction to make sure there are no capillary bridges "sucking" water out of the pool into the dry surroundings.

Hi I’m David. I am probably the only person to have two Organic Pools (aka Natural Swimming Pools). The reason for this over indulgence was to make a DIY film of the process. Loads of these pools have been made all over the place, helping make the world slightly wetter, pond by pond. I have also made a short film for the BBC about Natural Swimming Pools introducing the concept to a wider audience here in the UK. As a consequence of all of this, I have started giving courses to fellow self-builders who have traveled from far and wide to come and sit in my garden and talk about pools and ponds for two days. What could be nicer?
David Pagan Butler organicpools.co.uk

Dave Hartman

Posts: 62

Location: Off grid in the central Rockies of Montana (at 6300') zone 3-4ish

posted 12 years ago

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Great! Thanks again

Brenda Groth

pollinator

Posts: 4437

Location: North Central Michigan

posted 12 years ago

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our first years of our pond the pond would go dry in the droughty summer, but we dug deeper and deeper. we had the worst drought ever this year and our pond did not go dry, we did get dry areas and lower edges, but the deep areas stayed fully wet

Brenda

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