Upcoming LA CES Course: Introduction to Natural Swimming Pools
BioNova Natural Pools is thrilled to offer our approved LA CES course as an official provider!

Introduction to Natural Swimming Pools: Sustainable Design Principles and Biological Filtration

Course #101

Live Online – Thursday, January 29, 2026 at 3:00 PM EST  2 Professional Development Hours (PDH)Heath, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) Eligible 

Dive into chemical-free natural swimming pools, beautiful watershapes powered by nature’s purification. This beginner-friendly session covers biological filtration, regeneration zones, smart design, and the health, biodiversity, and sustainability benefits.

Key Topics: 

• Design-Build
• Nature-based Solutions
• Sustainable Development & Design 

Learning Objectives:

• Explain crystal-clear water via biological filtration and regeneration zones (no chemicals needed). 
• Identify core design elements and zoning for landscape integration.  
• Describe health, safety, and environmental advantages (reduced chemicals, better ecology, sustainable water use).  
• Spot opportunities to apply natural pool concepts for eco-friendly client projects.

HSW Justification: Focuses on chemical-free design advancing public health (safer water), safety (proper zoning/filtration), and welfare (biodiversity, low-impact management) over 75% supports competent landscape practice for resilient environments.

Instructor: Allen Schnaak  

Register Now! (Open to all): Spots are limited, secure yours today! 

Stay Safe and Healthy.

We hope you all continue to stay healthy during these trying times and wish all of our BioNova® Dealers our best to you and your families.

Questions, Concerns, Thoughts

As always, we encourage you to contact us and share your thoughts, questions, and concerns with BioNova®. We are available to assist you in any way we can. Feel free to email me directly with photos, project updates, testimonials, etc., and we’ll include them in an upcoming Newsletter.

Respectfully,

Ryan Harmer
BioNova® Natural Pools
ryan@bionovanaturalpools.com
609-318-4707

The post BioNova Weekly News – 1/23/2026 appeared first on BioNova®.

The ASPNSP is a non-profit organization that seeks to be the industry resource for natural swimming pools and bathing waters in North America. We want to inform home owner’s associations, trade groups, public health entities, and other businesses about how natural swimming pools can work for their needs as well as the environmental benefits associated with them. 

It’s no surprise that chemical-free pools have been on the rise recently; green-focused and health-conscious individuals want more options that fit their lifestyle. BioNova® always mentions how natural swimming pools are a chemical-free alternative to traditional pools, but the ASPNSP intends to further educate the public about why this is important to humans’ most precious resource: water.

ASPNSP’s vision is simple. They see a future where natural swimming pools support environmental stewardship for the current and future generation of swimming pool owners. Whether you’re just learning about NSPs or are considering an NSP conversion, the ASPNSP wants to impress how important building a community is for our network. 

To build our network and become the leading industry resource for NSP information, we reference our mission: 

“Inform the public through scientific research, educational opportunities, and outreach. In doing so, we highlight the benefits of natural swimming pools by leading regulatory change in North America.”

-Association for Swimming Ponds and Natural Swimming Pools

Natural swimming has a more established presence outside of North America, however, which is why the ASPNSP is also part of a global community that aims to share the health benefits of natural swimming water. The International Organization for natural Bathing waters (IOB) is the worldwide umbrella organization for organic swimming pools with 23 represented countries, including the ASPNSP in North America. Its objectives are to promote and distribute natural bathing water projects with natural water purification. They accomplish these objectives with governmental administration consultation, leading to the formulation of policies that recognize the statutes and laws concerning bathing in natural bathing water. IOB supports member associations from various countries by exchanging experience on planning, construction, and operation of semi-natural bathing waters and publishing different kinds of information.

Like the IOB, the ASPNSP will work closely with local regulatory agencies to help shape guidelines and public knowledge regarding public natural swimming pools. We want to demonstrate NSPs as a nature-based solution to environmental challenges humans face. When you become a member of the ASPNSP, you join a global community of green thinkers and ecological advocates!

When faced with significant growth, organizations can easily get lost in the noise or lose sight of their goals. The ASPNSP’s continued success and focus are directly related to the strength of our values. 

Communication – Whether it is scientific data, regulatory updates, or newsletters addressed to the public, we recognize the need for transparency and accountability in sharing information among our members.

Education – Seminars, visual media, PSAs, and scientific literature will all play a crucial role in demonstrating the efficacy of biologically filtered water. Bathers should have complete information in their swimming experience with NSPs.

Collaboration – Promoting shared knowledge and interaction among members and working with other entities is essential to our goal in demonstrating NSPs as a healthful, recreational environment throughout North America.

Sustainability – Our nature-based solutions provide an alternative to traditional chemical methods for water treatment. We believe in being good stewards of our natural resources, so nature will continue to provide us with an abundance of health and enjoyment.

Of course, words without action are meaningless. ASPNSP partner, BioNova®, spear-headed the Webber Park Swimming Pool project in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The ASPNSP wants to encourage and facilitate more civic spaces like this that use nature-based solutions for biologically purified water instead of traditional chemical methods. The pool has received positive reviews and Instagram media shares from its visitors since its construction finished in 2015.

ASPNSP wants to include natural swimming pools in any conversation about communal spaces that bring people together. After all, public swimming pools have a long history around the world. The baths of ancient Rome, the serene lakes of Austria, and established English gardens all brought citizens together to a beautiful and healthful shared experience in the water.

Following our value of collaboration, the ASPNSP has also started working with the CDC to fulfill our vision. The ASPNSP recognizes the need to adapt regulatory guidelines to suit the design, permitting, and construction of NSPs. ASPNSP members will form an ad-hoc committee for change proposals to the CDC’s voluntary guidance document, the Model Aquatic Health Code.

Additionally, we’ve started drafting educational programming for K-12 and undergraduate speaking engagements (limnology lesson plans, science activities, and experiments to get young minds interested in water health). In the future, we’d like to add a student job board to our website to help grow the innovation of natural swimming pools with engineering, water, and biology-based postings.

Now that we’ve told you a bit about ASPNSP and its goals, here is a bit more about our membership tiers to help find the right fit for you, your business, or any other group.

Professional Member – A person actively involved in the NSP industry as a designer, builder, maintenance professional, or consultant. This is the only membership that carries full voting rights in the organization when making decisions in the ASPNSP.

Associate Member – A person or organization with interest in NSPs such as a landscape architect, homeowner, health department, educator, or advocacy organization.

Student Member – Full-time or part-time students must provide proof of active academic status for membership.

Sponsorships – Includes commercial entity, product manufacturer, distributor, service provider, or trade group. This membership will allow the ASPNSP non-profit banner to be featured on a commercial member’s website.

Here are four quick ways for you to make an immediate impact in the ASPNSP non-profit organization:

1. Make a tax-deductible donation: With your donation, we can fund the projects and partnerships that educate, inspire, and bring people together in a stunning environment outside.
2. Join our community: We build a network of pool business leaders, designers, and volunteers who want to help make the air and land a bit greener. Membership with ASPNSP comes with great benefits, like attendance at the IOB Conference in Portugal later this year.
3. Buy a shirt or hoodie – We’ve got comfortable t-shirts and hoodies with a simple message to spread everywhere: “Swim Natural.” Be cool at the pool and help ASPNSP’s mission with a purchase!
4. Read up and spread the word: We’re available to answer your questions. As you learn more, tell more people about the work we’re doing. Word of mouth helps us make a splash!

ASPNSP spring memberships are open, and we want you to join us in making a difference in communal spaces, classrooms, and outdoor living. Here are the key takeaways from this blog below: 

• Join a growing network of design professionals, contractors, and homeowners in the United States

• Become part of an international group that champions nature-based solutions as alternatives to chemical pools

• Gain access to international conferences

• Lead and contribute to natural swimming pool public awareness

The post Joining the ASPNSP this Spring Season appeared first on BioNova®.

“Backyarding” is a New Normal We Can Get Behind

Have you seen the term “backyarding” recently? Quarantines, home schooling, and remote work means more homeowners and their families are heading out back to find entertainment. The answer to “what is backyarding” suggests a call to action: invest in and embrace outdoor living spaces. The “backyarding” definition is simple–using the yard to engage in activities safely with others. These activities include work, study, play, exercise, social gatherings, and relaxation.

The COVID-19 virus brings a lot of risk to public spaces, but backyarding helps mitigate those risks by utilizing your own space instead. Your lawn can (and should) be more than just a lump of dingy grass or a lonesome shrub. Think about ways to incorporate outdoor time with children, pets, or even as part of your remote work office. Backyarding can be as simple as having a dedicated hammock for lounging and chatting with neighbors over the fence. Or you can try one of the installations below to really make lazy summy evenings something to remember.

You’ll realize that even a small space can accommodate big ideas with the proper planning. The addition of a beautifully designed natural pool to the backyarding masterplan may increase your home value, but more importantly, it is a personal retreat you and your family can enjoy every day.

Bring the Sunblock: 2021 Is Trending Outdoors

Speaking of natural pool designs, the trends in 2021 are “fun in the sun”. Ideas this year tend to place more emphasis on comprehensive backyard design to avoid segmenting areas. Family seating, fire pits, and integrated tanning ledges can accentuate the pool as the main attraction. Don’t forget about space for raised beds or concrete planters if you are up to the gardening challenge!

Did you know plunge pools and other small designs are trending as well? Not every home has enough space for a standard size pool (referring to 10’x20′ rectangles or similarly-sized areas). However, plunge pools fill this niche perfectly. Small backyard plunge pools generally have a fixed depth across the entire pool area and are less expensive to maintain and heat due to their lower water volume. There are tons of great customization options using the simple shapes of plunge pools for a unique look in your space. BioNova works with your plans–even if they’re just ideas on a napkin–to help create something that fits your vision. Our network of custom pool builders has the experience needed to work professionally and quickly, even in tight spaces.

Lastly, we’d consider rimless or infinity edge pools to a popular up-and-coming choice for your backyard pool. We’ve discussed infinity edge pools before in our blog, and adding one to your home with the right pool liner tint can offer some fantastic sight-lines. When you factor stunning designs into your natural swimming pool plans from the start, the results complement the other areas of your lawn even more. Whether you’re gathering information on how to build a natural swimming pool or want to learn about natural pool conversion, we’ve hope you find some inspiration!

This winter was particularly rough for residents in the southern United States. In mid-February, Texan and Oklahoman pool owners were shocked to see their foundations, pipes, and filters crack open in the freezing temperatures.

The logistics of fixing these sites is underway, but for those irreparable cases that need a complete rebuild, a natural pool conversion could be viable! BioNova’s Definitive Guide to NSPs 2021 offers two common methods for pool conversion: adding an aquatic plant regeneration zone or a biofilm filter for your natural swimming pool filtration system. Adding aquatic plants will help create a more wild, swimming pond look (rope swing not included). A BF4 Biofilm Filter is installed adjacent to the pool and can be out of sight for a minimal look if desired. 

We solve engineering challenges as well. This video highlights a client’s custom diving envelope and structural braces. Also, we’re currently working on a custom BF4 filter housing that follows a curve in the pool design to make the filter integration seamless. Do you have more questions on natural pool conversion? Contact us for a consultation. As for where to buy aquatic plants, your local cooperative or marine plant specialist can help determine what is safe and beautiful for your pool.

Get Outside and Swim Natural with ASPNSP

BioNova is passionate about healthy, naturally purified water that families can enjoy and share with others. This passion led to the formation of the Association for Swimming Ponds and Natural Swimming Pools. This non-profit sees a future where natural swimming pools support environmental stewardship for the current and future swimming pool owners. Why? Because the ASPNSP’s endorsement of nature-based solutions aligns with other associates around the globe. The international organization IUCN champions nature-based solutions to “…protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems.” These actions address societal obstacles while simultaneously providing benefits to humans, their well-being, and their biodiversity.

ASPNSP is a growing network of industry leaders, homeowners, and green thinkers that want to make time spent outside fun and educational. Our plans include water science educational programming for grades K-12 and regulatory changes to the CDC’s Model Aquatic Health Code. Are you an educator that wants to support fun, outdoor programs? If so, consider becoming an ASPNSP member to stay up-to-date on our activities. Are you a landscape or pool professional that wants to network with a new or unfamiliar field? Be the first in your area to join ASPNSP as a founding member and vote on impactful changes in the natural swimming pool world.

Social Channels and CADdetails

Besides Facebook and Instagram, BioNova is also excited to showcase our Youtube page. Join our 800+ subscribers for video journal walkthroughs, company profiles, and quick looks at current projects. We need our viewers’ input to make the best and most relevant content for our subscribers: contractors, homeowners, trade groups, etc. We will post our live-recorded webinars with Q&A sections on the Youtube page as well, so if you miss one, you can watch it on-demand at your own pace. 

We also have big news for landscape and architecture design professionals: Did you know that BioNova has joined CADdetails? CADdetails is an excellent source for high-quality building product information, and our page includes schematics of BF4 BioFilm Filter and past project details. BioNova has dealers from coast to coast, and if you want to join the natural swimming pool boom, we’d love to have your business listed among our other natural swimming pool contractors.

BioNova Natural Pools wants to make your backyard swimming pool chemical-free and naturally purified, which is why we are leading North America’s change to sustainable swimming pools. We’re here with answers to your questions so reach out through our channels on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. Don’t be the last one in the pool this spring!

The post A Busy Spring: Backyarding, Inspirations, & our Non-profit appeared first on BioNova®.

“The Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC) is a voluntary guidance document based on science and best practices that can help local and state authorities and the aquatics sector make swimming and other water activities healthier and safer. States and localities can use the MAHC to create or update existing pool codes to reduce risk for outbreaks, drowning, and pool-chemical injuries. The MAHC guidelines are all-inclusive and address the design, construction, operation, maintenance, policies, and management cutting edge needs of today’s public aquatic facilities.”

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Additional Guidance for Public Natural Swimming Pools

Its important to understand the incredible capacity for change that this document can offer in BioNova® leading America’s change to sustainable swimming pools. While the MAHC provides resources for building traditional, chemically treated pools in the aquatic sector, there are no practices outlined for public natural swimming pools. This knowledge gap is where the Association for Swimming Ponds and Natural Swimming Pools (ASPNSP) comes in. This nonprofit is an industry resource for education, homeowners’ exchange of ideas, and the education and certification of designers and builders. The ASPNSP fosters regulatory compliance in designing, permitting, and constructing NSPs and provides a conduit for public communication and advocacy.

With so much cross-communication between organizations, it can be difficult to retrofit the language of the current MAHC to specifically include public natural swimming pools. BioNova® North America’s Allen Schnaak has led a change request process on behalf of the ASPNSP. This request is for an updated section of the MAHC to bring naturally purified bathing water into the conversation about public aquatic health. As it stands, the operating procedure states that “Public NSP permitting in the US can gain local approval through engagement with the local governing authorities, by presenting design and efficacy data that supports health department criteria and objectives.”

Some countries are slower to embrace what the rest of the world has been doing for decades regarding public natural bathing water. The International Organization for natural Bathing water (IOB) has global partners (including the ASPNSP) that work closely with local municipalities to build public natural swimming pools. Public pool builds have had tremendous growth in Western and Eastern European countries and with international collaborators sharing resources, the trend will continue to spread!

Taking Action for Healthy, Sustainable Swimming

So what do all these guidelines and group acronyms mean for swimmers like you? The inclusion of natural bathing water guidelines is a significant step toward nature-based solutions to the environmental challenges our society faces. These code modifications aim to recognize and include procedures for the design, operation, and maintenance of public natural swimming pools which offer benefits to swimmers and mother nature:

-Contributes to swimmers’ wellbeing by providing a much healthier form of swimming than conventional solutions for chemically purified swimming water.

-Reduces energy consumption per bather or square meter compared to traditional solutions of fixed or variable speed electric pumps.

This blog will expand on these benefits more in the future, but for now, there is action you can take as a homeowner, industry professional, student, or commercial entity. One of the biggest challenges the ASPNSP faces is shaping public perception with current data on biologically filtered water for swimming. Most swimmers have grown up with traditional, chemically treated pools. However, changing minds will be based on the interactions you have with your local municipalities. This influence and knowledge can trickle down to public awareness, and community leaders can use these resources to demonstrate bather health with confidence. If you want to be a part of this growing movement of NSPs:

1. Join over a dozen current ASPNSP members in spreading NSP awareness
2. Spread your dedication and commitment to NSPs as a socially and environmentally responsible choice. Start by reading our Definitive Guide to NSPs or share BioNova®’s posts on social media!
3. Read more about NSPs and the growing importance of environmental sustainability and green building practices in the pool and landscape industry.

The shift to sustainable swimming pools will be a long journey, but one with a worthy destination. Collecting and sharing the knowledge to highlight beautiful, ecologically enriching waterscapes is part of BioNova®’s mission. Join us today in making a splash the world over!

The post Guidance for Public Natural Swimming Pools appeared first on BioNova®.