Greetings: Need help on Pool to Pond Conversion

[waterlily]

Greetings:

I need some help on a Pool to Pond Conversion.

I have a gunite in-ground pool that was built about 10 years ago. It is a natural shaped pool with natural stone coping and no deck around it. I believe it is about 24,000 gals (does that sound about right?) The depth goes from 3' to 5' and it is about 25' long.

We have not used the pool in about 2 or 3 years so I am confident that there are no chemicals in it at all. There is a permeable pool cover on top that is now filled with water and is home to frogs, snakes, water insects, etc. We have ducks and birds who come to visit regularly.

I have been reading a lot on line about pool to pond conversions and mostly they seem to start with removing all the water from the pool and installing a liner and then adding fill to bring up the level of the pool. I really don't want to spend a lot of money. I have read Doug Hoover's article about not using pond liners. I want to leave it as it is especially since we already have a little ecosystem happening that I don't want to disturb.

I have two thoughts:
One is just to unfasten the pool cover and let it drop to the bottom. There are two large shelves that I can start planting water plants on. I can then add more plants on floating plastic scaffolding or directly into the pool and just let it develop naturally from there.
Another thought is to just leave the pond cover where it is and just start adding plants and rocks around the perimeter and letting all our new friends stay where they are.

I don't need to have any fish nor do I need to swim in it (although both of those things would be nice) so I don't think that I need a filter. Is that correct??
I do know that I need some form of pump or aeration and I am wondering if I can just do a waterfall and how I would size it.

Anyone have any thoughts?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Becky]

Hello! Just wanted to say welcome aboard

 

[mgmine]

What ever you do you don't want to permanently ruin the pool, it's at least a $20,000 dollar investment. I would put a liner in it, if for no other reason than to hind the white cement. As far as a filter goes, yes you will need one but not one as elaborate as the pool filter. You could buy a commercial one or make a skippy filter. There are plenty on ideas on Youtube.

 

[sissy]

Welcome and yes never ruin a built in pool ,so agree there .You can build your own filter out of a stock tank and many are built on here .Not sure about raising the level ,it may ruin the gunite if you put sand in the bottom ,plus you may get water run between the liner and the pool and that will float the liner

 

[tbendl]

Check out Timothy's post o his conversion. He did an awesome job.
https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/converting-an-in-ground-pool-to-a-garden-pond.16738/

 

[waterlily]

Thanks for your comments. I will not destroy the pool. It was more like $50,000 than $20,000.

I realized that what I want is a "wildlife" pond. No fish to take care of and monitor and feed and buy food for. And No swimming so no filters, etc. I want it simple and I want to help the environment not alter it further.

We decided to just cut the cover off bit by bit and let it fall into the pool. We cut about 10' away near a shelf. We dug up some lilies from the wetlands behind out house and planted them in the pool. I will post photos as we go along...

 

[waterlily]

Any suggestions on a pump??