Natural Pools: Healthier… or Just Trendier?

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In this episode 'FROM THE VAULT', we revisit part two of our three-part deep dive with Rudy, Allen Schnaak, and Andrea The Pool Girl, and yeah—we’re talking about natural pools again. On paper, natural pools check every eco-friendly box Gen Z cares about: fewer synthetic chemicals, more biology, more “let nature do the work.” But the conversation makes one thing crystal clear… as much as we all want natural pools to be the sustainable future, the real story is more complicated.

The group breaks down exactly where natural pools shine and where they struggle. Rudy points out that, yes, there is legit research supporting natural pool systems—way more than most people realize. They’re fundamentally different from chemically treated pools, and the science is fascinating. Allen expands on that, comparing the biology to aquarium ecosystems: the same microbes, the same biofilms, just scaled up for backyard swimming.

But then we hit the part no one likes to hear. If natural pools were the flawless green solution TikTok makes them out to be, the episode would’ve ended at the 10-minute mark. It didn’t.

Rudy voices very real concerns about emerging health risks. Allen counterbalances it by explaining that chemically treated pools have more issues simply because there are millions more of them—and human error takes a bigger toll. But the truth sits somewhere in the middle: natural pools may feel safer because they’re chemical-free, but they still face biological challenges that chlorine has spent a century solving.

They discuss the Weber Park Natural Pool in Minneapolis, which had to close multiple times because of waterfowl contamination, E. coli spikes, and environmental factors nobody can “out-nature.” This isn’t a failure of natural pools—it’s a reminder that ecosystems are fragile and unpredictable. They don’t bend just because we want a greener backyard aesthetic.

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