I’ve read the advice suggesting that a pea gravel beach would eventually turn slimy due to anerobic decomposition of organic material that works itself deep into the gravel layer with regular foot traffic. But what about large river stones? We have a local quarry that sells heavy baseball sized stones for landscaping. Our beach construction plan is to put down a 12x12 layer of geotextile, create a lip around it with cinder blocks, and cover it with a layer of these large river stones. I understand that this will be pretty uncomfortable underfoot, but our kids are used to walking on sharp rocks in the creek, and we’d rather have a rough beach than a mucky one. The stones are large enough that they won’t shift with foot traffic and the layer will be thin enough that there should be no tendency toward anaerobic slime. Does anyone think this strategy will avoid the issue of a mucky bottom? Or should we just use fine sand assuming it would be more impervious to organic material? Which do you think would require less maintenance? Fish habitat is of little significance to us since this is mainly a swimming pond. Thanks!
