I would think that ponds could easily be changed to pools and then back again if the person has the money and the inclination to do so.

As for whether a pond is safe to swim in, I can't answer that. There has been some discussion on that subject on various forums, including this one. Personally, I would not want to because of bacteria issues, but I would also point out that people swim in lakes and farm ponds. Occasionally you hear of a bacteria or amoeba that causes a problem, but mostly you don't hear of problems.

Actually, Nancy, the two are starting to coexist. The idea is coming over here from Europe to use a bog/shallow pond with lots of plants to filter swimming pools. It means using no chlorine. Of course, just like everyday life, there is a chance of getting an infection but that can happen on dry land.

I saw the pool again. It is not as big as I described earlier, but I still couldn't get to it to measure it. It also appears to be 5-6 feet deep rather than 8. So there's possibly a lot less water. This is looking managable.
It's still cold here and I don't want to start a pond until it's warmer. I did read that some cold plants are possibilities--spinach, broccoli, some lettuces including romaine. Even with the info overload, we're talking and considering what-ifs and how-abouts. We're open to suggestions, and welcome them. TIA!
Ella

Will we (or someone) be able to return it to a swimming pool later if they would rather that? And if they do, what steps will they have to take?
========================================================
Ella, you won't be able to keep a pond buffered like you do a swimming pool. That's going to cause the finish on the inside of the pool to deteriorate.
To convert it back to a swimming pool, you will need to re-finish the inside of the pool.

Corrie

Corrie, why wouldn't you be able to keep it buffered? That is an important part of pond chemistry that we have talked about on this forum often. It is not difficult. I place Plaster of Paris sculptures in my pond and it reacts to maintain the buffering capacity quite nicely. Others use other methods. I don't see how that would harm the inside of the pool.

Not sure how big the pond/pool in question - I've been using a charcoal filter/pump successfully with fish for years - seems like that in combination with scooping out leaves and stuff would work quite nicely with a swimming pond - esp. without fish waste to contend with.

I think there's a range of alternatives you can explore between keeping it chlorinated and chemicalized on one hand, and letting it turn into a smelly bacteria infested mess on the other hand - filtration etc. People swim in lakes all the time - having just wrecked my hair with ONE swim in a chlorine pool recently, I say go for it.