Although they may not realize it, millions of people rely upon the NSF Certified pond liners for the safety of their food and water. NSF is the acronym for National Sanitation Foundation, which is an independent public health and safety organization that develops standards and certifications to help protect our water, food, consumer products, and the environment. There are many advantages to choosing NSF certified pond liners, especially in applications that require potable status or need to be fish and plant safe. Not all liners hold this certification, which guarantees that the product meets all of the regulatory requirements of the U.S. and Canada and is safe for use in drinking water. Several liners manufactured and fabricated by BTL Liners are NSF certified for use in drinking water and are fish and plant safe.
Qualifications for NSF Certified Pond Liners
In order for pond liners and other water system components to qualify for the NSF certification, the products must undergo the certification process, which includes:- Providing product formulation, toxicology and use information
- A review by the toxicology department of the National Sanitation Foundation
- A plant audit and sample collection
- Laboratory testing
- Final toxicology evaluation
Fish and Plant Safe Pond Liners
Choosing fish and plant safe pond liners is essential for the life of these natural elements within your pond, as well as the environment. Unlike certain liner materials, like PVC for example, the RPE and RPP liners from BTL don’t release any plasticizers into the water and there are no harmful byproducts. Plant and fish safe pond liners have many applications, including:- Aquaculture
- Aquaponics
- Residential and Commercial Koi Ponds
- Natural Swimming Pools
- Irrigation Ponds
- Water Gardens and Decorative Ponds
NSF Certified Liners Play an Important Role in Aquaponics
Aquaponics is the combination of two types of soil-free farming: Aquaculture and hydroponics. Aquaculture is the cultivation of aquatic animals. Think of it as underwater agriculture, or more specifically, rearing fish, shellfish, and even seaweed in large water tanks or reservoirs. Hydroponics is growing plants without soil by placing their roots in nutrient-rich liquid solutions. The two come together to create aquaponics, a farming system that utilizes fish excretions from which hydroponically grown plants draw their nutrients. This soilless method grows fish and plants together in one integrated system—aquaponics circulates the wastewater from the animal aquaculture to the hydroponically cultivated plants that naturally filter it before it is sent back to be used by fish or other types of aquatic animals. Here are a few reasons anyone in aquaponics, aquaculture, and hydroponics farming will want to use BTL NSF certified pond liners:- RPE is a type of plastic that contains no additives or chemicals to leach into aquaponic systems
- Other types of liner materials can contain plasticizers, which are harmful to plants, fish and water quality
- BTL’s RPE liners are certified NSF 61 for potable water containment
- Our NSF 61 certified pond liners are ideal for hydroponics, aquaculture, and aquaponic commercial and residential applications
- BTL RPE aquaculture liners are certified fish and plant safe