Jennifer Zuri, of Aquascape Construction in St. Charles, shows a visitor a waterfall Monday during a three-day Pondamonium conference about landscape water features. (Ted Slowik / Daily Southtown)

For many, there’s nothing better than relaxing in a backyard garden and listening to water gurgling over a small waterfall.

“We did a survey and the No. 1 reason people wanted a water feature was for the sound,” Aquascape’s Jennifer Zuri said.

Imagine taking a dip with your pet koi in a 4-foot deep wading pool after a day’s work. Maybe the kids or grandkids could invite friends over to splash around.

“We’re all getting excited about swim ponds,” Brian Helfrich, Aquascape’s vice president of construction, told a room full of landscaping contractors Monday during the annual Pondamonium conference. “We’re getting more and more customers excited about it.”

More than 500 landscapers from all over the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and other countries gathered for the three-day conference. Demand is surging as people spending more time at home due to the pandemic seek interactive landscapes instead of lackluster lawns and boring backyards.

“COVID really helped us out,” Zuri said.

A recreational pond at Aqualand in St. Charles features a window that lets visitors watch koi from a sunken patio. (Ted Slowik / Daily Southtown)

Since 1991, Aquascape has been helping homeowners all over the world realize dreams of transforming properties by supplying materials and know-how about building waterfalls, plunge pools, recreational ponds and other water features.

“Rec ponds” are all the rage nowadays. The trend is toward larger and more formal pools, though many customers prefer smaller, natural looking ponds. It’s all about creating an integrated ecosystem designed to fit a specific property.

St. Charles-based Aquascape Construction’s business took off after the Chicago Tribune featured then-22-year-old founder Greg Wittstock in 1992. Back then, customers typically paid about $3,500 for a project.

“That was the linchpin that kicked everything off,” said Gary Wittstock, the founder’s father.

Nowadays customers commonly pay contractors $100,000 or more to do a job in a matter of weeks. Do-it-yourselfers with more time can buy pumps, pipes, filters, rocks and other supplies from Aquascape’s retail shop near the DuPage Airport and spend much less money.

The company has perfected aeration and filtration techniques that keep flowing water clean and crystal clear. Gary Wittstock told me how he designed and patented a skimmer system that clears debris and reduces maintenance. The elder Wittstock maintains a social media page called, “The Pond Father.”

Landscapers compete in a waterfall building conference Monday at Aqualand in St. Charles during a three-day Pondamonium conference about ponds, plunge pools and other water features. (Ted Slowik / Daily Southtown)

Helfrich, the construction chief, has worked for the company since 1995. His keynote address Monday touched on Roman baths and ancient formal gardens.

“Swim ponds have been around for thousands of years,” he told the group.

Aquascape knows its subject matter. Since 2014, the show “Pond Stars” on the Nat Geo Wild channel has shared the company’s work with a worldwide audience.

Many folks in Blue Island or Tinley Park may think their yards are too small for a water feature. They would be surprised by the styles of immersive ponds that can fit in relatively small spaces.

“You don’t need it 7 feet deep to make it a rec pond,” Helfrich said. “You don’t need a huge swimming area.”

Helfrich told his audience of landscape contractors that traditional swimming pools involve hassles of permits and fees. Swim ponds are free from bureaucratic red tape.

“This is unchartered territory for a lot of us,” he told the group. “We’re all getting involved in this at the same time together.”

Traditional swimming pools are typically made with concrete. Ponds typically avoid structural complexities with sturdy liners that hold in water. Also, concrete has to cure, which can delay construction.

“One of the beauties of the liner as a sealing basin is that it’s instantaneous,” Gary Wittstock said.

Brian Helfrich, vice president of construction for Aquascape Construction, delivers a keynote address Monday at Aqualand in St. Charles during a three-day Pondamonium conference on landscape water features. (Ted Slowik / Daily Southtown)

Two key principles of healthy ponds are aeration and filtration. Contractors create hybrids that combine natural and mechanical systems. Pumping water to a waterfall aerates a pond, while skimmers and natural plants filter the water.

Roots of lily pads and other plants in shallower areas help filter ponds. That helps avoid having to use chlorine or other chemicals and creates a natural look. Many customers stock ponds with koi or other fish, though others do not. Some customers stock larger ponds with trout, walleye and other game fish and invite friends over for fishing tournaments.

“People still want that swimming pool vibe,” Helfrich said. “Some people are still resistant about swimming with fish.”

In suburban Chicago and other northern climates, traditional swimming pools often sit covered and unused for nine months of the year. The sun can warm water in shallower swim ponds enough to use them from as early as April to as late as November.

Plus, rec ponds provide tranquillity and enjoyment when not used for swimming.

“A rec pond can look beautiful all the time,” Helfrich said.

Fish survive winters so long as ponds are more than 2 feet deep and a hole in the surface ice is maintained, Zuri said.

Jennifer Zuri of Aquascape Construction feeds koi in a large pond Monday during a three-day Pondamonium conference at Aqualand in St. Charles. (Ted Slowik / Daily Southtown)

After Helfrich’s keynote, dozens of contractors worked together in teams to compete in a waterfall building contest. Others toured the company’s 250,000 square foot warehouse and office complex.

A recently completed addition allows viewers to watch koi swimming underwater. A thick sheet of glass separates the pond from a sunken patio. Helfrich estimated the value of the project at $650,000.

Some shared lunch together and talked about a tour earlier in the conference that showcased the company’s work in the Chicago area. Helfrich discussed a customer in Lemont who just retired as an educator.

“Our No. 1 customers are doctors and No. 2 are schoolteachers because they have summers off,” he told the group.

Ted Slowik is a columnist for the Daily Southtown.