Robert Pavlis - Building Natural Ponds: Create a Clean, Algae-free Pond without Pumps, Filters, or Chemicals

Praise for Building Natural Ponds

I love all things water, and I was thrilled to read the most comprehensive book on designing and building natural ponds. Pavlis has provided detailed, step-by-step instructions about all aspects of ponds. He even discusses large dams, rain gardens, bog gardens, maintenance and much more. What intrigued me was ways to build ponds that did not require any pumps or filtration, and could be set up by anyone with basic skills in shaping soil, placing stone and planting. A must-read for the garden enthusiast and designer.

Dr. Ross Mars, Permaculture Elder and author,
The Permaculture Transition Manual
and The Basics of Permaculture Design

Ive never put in a pond, but after reading Robert Pavlis Building Natural Ponds, I am confident that I could do it. And, after reading the book, I will! The book is very thorough, with guidance for every step from planning to digging to stocking with fish to planting to...well, everything you need to know.

Lee Reich, PhD, author, The Pruning Book,
Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden
and Landscaping with Fruit
www.leereich.com

Build your own golden pond with this complete, authoritative and wonderfully illustrated guide. Robert Pavlis has a knack for making a complex, natural ecosystem seem both straightforward and accessible. Building Natural Ponds is the perfect book for anyone who wants a pond, or is eager to improve the one they already have by making it a healthy, functioning ecosystem without any pumps, pipes, chemicalsor algae. From small ponds to large, with a plethora of plant options and covering everything from planning and designing to construction, Building Natural Ponds covers it all. Pavlis is just the right person to lead us to some water in our backyards or on our homesteads.

John D. Ivanko, co-author,
Rural Renaissance and ECOpreneuring

There are many reasons to add a water feature to the landscape. Whether its a tranquil stone lined goldfish pool, or a larger pond for swimming, fishing and irrigation, a pond can greatly increase the biodiversity and beauty of a landscape. They can help manage storm water and provide harvests of food and craft materials. Building Natural Ponds is a detailed guide to planning, designing and building ponds, enhancing both your landscape and your life with open water.

Darrell E. Frey, Three Sisters Farm, author,
Bioshelter Market Garden
and The Food Forest Handbook

Ive always warned gardeners that a pond, however wonderful for its contribution, will be the most maintenance-demanding aspect of the landscape. The dream is to create a balanced miniature ecosystem in which you dont need massive pumps and filtersafter all, there arent any such machines in a natural pond. How can that dream be realized? With natures help, Robert Pavlis shows us how.

Ken Druse, award-winning author
www.KenDruse.com

As someone who has struggled with an assortment of pond challenges over the past 15 years, I can say with certainty that this is the book that every pond owner or wanna-be needs to read. Its always wonderful to come across an author who, like me, ignored all the people who said something couldnt be doneand learned how to do it!

Deborah Niemann, author,
Homegrown and Handmade,
Ecothrifty, and Raising Goats Naturally

Copyright 2017 by Robert Pavlis.

All rights reserved.

Cover design by Diane McIntosh.

Central pond image: author supplied; all others iStock.

All interior images Robert Pavlis unless otherwise noted.

Printed in Canada. First printing March 2017.

Inquiries regarding requests to reprint all or part of Building Natural Ponds
should be addressed to New Society Publishers at the address below.
To order directly from the publishers, please call toll-free
(North America) 1-800-567-6772, or order online at www.newsociety.com

Any other inquiries can be directed by mail to:

New Society Publishers

P.O. Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X0, Canada

(250) 247-9737

LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION

Pavlis, Robert, 1953, author

Building natural ponds : create a clean, algae-free pond without pumps,

filters, or chemicals / Robert Pavlis.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Issued in print and electronic formats.

ISBN 978-0-86571-845-6 (softcover).ISBN 978-1-55092-640-8 (PDF).
ISBN 978-1-77142-235-2 (HTML)

1. PondsDesign and construction. 2. Water in landscape architecture.
I. Title.

New Society Publishers mission is to publish books that contribute in fundamental ways to building an ecologically sustainable and just society, and to do so with the least possible impact on the environment, in a manner that models this vision.

Dedicated to my wife, Judy,
who has always stood by me while I explore crazy ideas.
This book would not be possible without her support.

I have always wanted a larger pond in my new garden, and it was time to plan for it. It would be located at the top of a hill, next to a wooded area. This is a very natural area that has not been cultivated for many years. The design of the new pond had to fit into this environment and look as old as the mature trees and shrubs around it.

Pond building was not entirely new to me. I had built a few small traditional ponds in the past, and my last project was a large, multi-level waterfall and pond combination. These had all followed traditional designs and used pumps to keep the water clean. My new pond would be in an area that did not have electricity, and I didnt really want to run a new electric line to the location. I wondered, is it possible to build a pond with no electricity?

Why not just build a pond, fill it with water, and let nature take care of things? That seemed like a simple solution to the electricity problem. After much research in books and online, one point became very clear. Everybody agreed on one thing. A natural lined pond without pumps and filters would never work. In no time at all, it would become an algae cesspool of stinking organic matter. These so-called experts gave some vague reasons why it would not work, but nobody said that they had actually tried it.

My background is in chemistry and biology, and I have been studying plants and gardening all my life. I understood water chemistry, and the biology of water life. I maintained aquariums and bred fish for over ten years. One of my projects was to set up two five-foot long aquariums with no air and no filters. They contained a limited number of fish and lots of plants. All I did was feed the fish and replace some water once a month. After five years, they were still going strong with no water quality problems and no need for chemicals. In that time, they were never dismantled for cleaning. The plants and fish grew so well that I had to remove some every six months. The key to these self-sufficient aquariums was the plantslots of them. They were my air pump and filter, and they cleaned up the fish poop for me.