At the International Organization for natural Bathing water (IOB) 2023 conference held in Brussels, Belgium, September 27-28, 2023 BioNova® Natural Pools USA won a 1st Place Award for its Webber Park Natural Pool installation in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Public Natural Swimming Pool entries from around the world were submitted with the other finalists coming from Germany and Italy. Called the Pondy Award, the competition is divided into 2 classes of residential natural swimming pools (NSPs), a class for tourism NSPs (hotels, campgrounds) and for Public NSPs.
The Webber Park Natural Pool in Minneapolis is the first public natural swimming pool in the United States. The pool was built when the town wanted to replace an old chemical pool that had fallen into disrepair. The neighborhood residents and park users met and championed an eco-friendly design. Building a natural swimming pool aligned perfectly with their priorities.
The Webber Park Natural Pool consists of a swimming vessel of 21,000 square feet, with a 13 foot deep diving area and racing lanes for competitive swimming. The pool is filtered with a separate 16,000 square foot regeneration basin near the pool with approximately 7000 aquatic plants.
