Water Neutral Pools

The Swimming Pool and Spa Association (SPASA) Victoria has created the water neutral pool concept to make it easier to own a pool and still be water efficient. A water neutral pool is designed not to use any mains water, as well as saving you time and money with less chemicals and maintenance required.  

You can make sure your new pool is water neutral from the beginning or retrofit an old pool by following the three guidelines below.

Water efficient products on the page below are from the savewater!® product library and have not been endorsed by SPASA.

Installing a rainwater tank means that you can capture the rainfall from your roof and use it to top-up your swimming pool. In wetter months less water is needed for topping up the pool, so you have more water available for the garden. If you have the tank connected indoors, the excess water can be used for toilet flushing or clothes washing.

SPASA recommends the following tank sizes:

20,000 litre pool = 2,500 litre water tank
40,000 litre pool = 4,000 litre water tank
60,000 litre pool = 5,000 litre water tank

Using a pool cover can save up to 95% of the water lost through evaporation from your swimming pool. There are a number of options when it comes to pool covers, from basic plastic blankets, to more sophisticated covers that can be walked on. There are even liquid pool covers which allow you to still enjoy the aesthetic value of your pool. Whichever option you choose, make sure the cover is on in the evening as this is usually the time when evaporation is at its highest.

Sand filters generally use a lot of water when being cleaned through backwashing. Cartridge filters use a lot less water for cleaning, while there are also secondary filtration devices that can be installed with your sand filter to make the cleaning process more water efficient.

• Find out more or get accredited
  Only Victorians can have their pools accredited for being water neutral.