Splashing return: Celebrating the reopening of Aquamoves’ outdoor pool after the floods are lifeguard Vasileios Risto and Greater Shepparton City Council active living manager David Booth. Photo: Anna McGuinness.
Photo by
Anna McGuinness
Aquamoves’ outdoor 50m pool is making a return from last year’s floods, reopening to the public on Tuesday, February 14 for the last gasp of summer despite some ongoing issues.
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When the Goulburn River broke its banks during the October flood it completely inundated the outdoor pool and the adjacent change rooms and storage facility.
Greater Shepparton City Council active living manager David Booth said there were multiple factors that delayed the pool’s reopening.
First the water had to recede, then the water table had to drop; otherwise, if the pool shell was emptied it could pop out of the ground.
Flood damage: Aquamoves’ outdoor areas inundated by floodwater in October 2022. Photo: Greater Shepparton City Council.
Once that happened, the pool started to lower — indicating damage to the pool’s structure, Mr Booth said.
“We were doing investigations while the pool was empty and now we’ll use dye testing to see where the water is being lost,” he said.
But the main takeaway he said was that the pool was back, it was okay, just not perfect yet.
“It’s about getting open what we can as soon as we can, and we appreciate the patience and understanding from people,” Mr Booth said.
“It’s important for school carnivals, the swim clubs and reassuring people that the pool will be okay.”
There has also been damage to the gas heaters, and the pool covers need replacing, affecting the pool’s temperature.
“The solar alone won’t keep the pool warm enough and without the pool covers on cold nights the temperature disappears out of the water,” Mr Booth said.
It means the pool is likely to remain open for about a month to six weeks, before it gets too cold without the gas heating.
Meanwhile the change rooms have been gutted, with the tiles and affected plaster ripped out.
For now, there are portable toilets and marquees set up near the pool as change rooms.
Mr Booth said once the repair work was identified the works would be undertaken during winter.
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