WORLD BIGGEST MAN MADE LA KE
Chalk another one up for the crazy -- but awesome --
things people
build.The world's biggest man-made
lagoon, also referred to as the world's
biggest swimming
pool, is located at the San Alfonso del Mar Resort in
Chile. It
is a kilometer
long, up to 35 meters deep and holds 250 million liters
of water
pumped in from the Pacific Ocean, which is
only a short walk away.
Indeed, the San Alfonso del Mar Resort seems to be all
about loving the sea
and trying to simulate the sea
without actually being the sea.
Case in point: visitors can sail boats, snorkel and scuba
dive in the
ridiculously large pool, and the resort also
features Jacuzzis "with ocean
views," and "ocean
aquariums" where you can dine with a different kind
of "ocean
view."
Maintenance fees
While many of the recent articles on the pool have been
about its sheer
scale, a lot of the attention has also been
focused on the hefty cost
of maintenance.
However, contrary to what has been written in many
recent articles, reports
of the pool's maintenance fees
have beengreatly exaggerated. While many outlets
have
reported thatit costs more than US$3 million to maintain,
the actual cost
is US$4,000 per hectare per month,
including energy and labor, bringing the
annual
cost to US$384,000 -- which isn't anything to
sneeze at, tobe sure, but
is still much less than what
was reported previously.
It seems that the resort has been
uncomfortable with the attention, and
were
quick to point out that the cost is "onesixth of the
construction
and maintenance cost associated
with a pro golf course."
Environmentally friendly
The man-made lagoon is actually significantly
more environmentally friendly
than most
others -- a newtechnology developed by a company
called Crystal Lagoons uses up to 100 times less
chemicals in comparison with traditional pool
maintenance systems,
and has a processof filtration with sound pulses that
uses
2 percent of the energy
that is traditionally used in filtration systems.
"The same technology is being applied to 180
lagoon projectsin different
stages of development
around the world, with
an associated investment of US$100
billion," said public
relations representative Lorena Machuca.
With all these developments going on worldwide, it
seems that the San
Alfonso del Mar lagoon/pool won't
hold on toits world title for much longer.
The title of "the
world's largest man-made lagoon" will pass to a real estate
development in the middle of the desert in Egypt,
which is currently
underway.
San Alfonso del Mar, Ave. Kennedy 8830, Algarrobo,
Valparaíso Region,
Chile; +56 2 202 0231; sanalfonso.cl
www.bangalisheba.blowgspot.com. |
