Few things in life so totally engulf our being like water. It is the key to life as Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, the doctor who discovered vitamin C, so famously said. Poet W. H. Auden wrote “Thousands have lived without love, not one without water” and Leonardo da Vinci called it “the driving force of all nature.”
I think you’d get no argument from John Artarian, owner of Aquatic Habitats, a Westhampton firm that specializes in water features. Formally, that’s called the aquatic design industry, but that doesn’t even begin to encompass all the subject matter expertise that goes into creating or restoring a water environment—whether that’s a disarmingly simple looking architectural feature or a complex ecosystem with tons of moving parts (literally! Like fish, water, birds!)
Artarian’s work requires him to be a designer, yes, but also an engineer, a botanist, water scientist, contractor and plumber. And in cases where he’s working with koi, a popular ornamental feature in ponds, he has to be a fish whisperer, working to create the most healthy environment for a species that’s driven to the opposite extreme with their relentless burrowing, spawning and, well, pooping.
He not only ensures the end product looks good, but also that it works as it should, despite the many factors that could go wrong. In our story this summer, he said it has to be done pretty much to perfection, “because water is relentless and will find all of your faults for you.” And for the intricate projects such as native wetlands, he has to have somewhat of a crystal ball to see how that environment will react to changes, either man made or climate driven.
I know that after speaking with Artarian, I never looked at a water feature again without thinking about the intricate life balance under the surface. Indeed, still waters run deep.
