Council and staff succeed in reducing flood impact at Forbes Olympic Pool

With flood conditions having impacted parts of the NSW central west over the past 10 days, LSA Venues and Forbes Shire Council team members have successfully battled to hold back the waters impacting the Forbes Olympic Pool.

With rising waters on the Lachlan River affecting many communities and several hundred homes in Forbes, critical infrastructure was stripped and removed from the Pool at the end of last week in preparation for the impending flood.

Equipment, including pool covers, lane ropes, chemicals, picnic tables and benchtops was removed from site, while pumps were turned off to protect the infrastructure.

The Pool, which is managed by Lifeguarding Services Australia, is expected to reopen after damage assessments are completed, with the Council saying it is working to reopen the facility as soon as possible.

However, with further heavy rains predicted for the coming days there are fears that flood waters may rise again.

The flooding also inundated low lying sporting fields while the town’s Botanical Gardens was also closed by floodwater.

Images: Flood waters rise at the Forbes Olympic Pool last weekend (top and middle) and the town from the air during the flood event with Forbes Olympic Pool visible in the middle of the image (below). Credit: Stan Wall.