Faecal incidents cause pool closures and patron frustration at Craigieburn’s Splash Aqua Park

Hume City Council has begun supplying free baby nappies to parents of infants at the Splash Aqua Park and Leisure Centre in Craigieburn after the pool was closed six times in four months due to a series of faecal incidents.

As reported by the Hume Leader newspaper, pool users have been left unhappy at a series of faecal incidents that have forced pool closures.

Parents were left fuming on 19th January, a 42 degree day, after the toddler, swim school and leisure pools were closed about 1pm for health and safety reasons.

On the Splash Facebook page Kim Dooley said people should have their membership suspended or revoked if they couldn’t follow the rules.

Monika Stefanska said management must refuse entry if toddlers weren’t wearing swimming nappies because it was “inconsiderate and irresponsible”.

Dalal Ozdemir said babies may need to be checked by staff before entering the pool.

Hume Corporate Services director Daryl Whitfort said staff and management were frustrated and disappointed by the ongoing closures.

Whitfort said these incidents were not typically experienced at Hume’s other aqua facilities.

He added that, on top of the free nappies, management had installed extra signage and were offering multilingual educational brochures, advising “we are calling on Splash patrons, especially those with young children, to do the right thing and take appropriate measures to ensure their children have appropriate pool attire, including aqua nappies for younger children, or not attend the centre if they are unwell.”

Whitfort said impacted pools needed to be closed for disinfection, which could take up 12 hours.

Each incident cost the Council between $500 to $2000 to clean-up. 

Image: The Splash Aqua Park and Leisure Centre opened last October.

8th December 2017 - PARENTS COMPLAIN OVER CHILDREN’S CUTS IN SPLASH AQUA PARK AND LEISURE CENTRE’S POOL

13th October 2017 - NEW SPLASH AQUA PARK AND LEISURE CENTRE OPENS IN MELBOURNE’S NORTH 

19th September 2017 - MEMBERSHIP SURGE AT NEW SPLASH AQUA PARK AND LEISURE CENTRE 

23rd June 2017 - CENTRE MANAGER APPOINTED FOR NEW SPLASH AQUA PARK AND LEISURE CENTRE 

15th May 2017 - SWIMPLEX AQUATICS FLAGS PORTFOLIO OF RECENT PROJECT SUCCESSES

14th May 2017 - BABY SWIM NAPPIES ‘LIKE A POO TEA BAG IN WATER’

2nd March 2017 - CANADIAN RESEARCHERS FIND SIGNIFICANT LEVELS OF URINE IN PUBLIC POOLS

19th January 2016 - RECREATION SA URGES SWIMMERS TO PRACTICE GOOD PERSONAL HYGIENE AMID RECORD CRYPTOSPORIDIUM LEVELS

23rd December 2015 - POOL MANAGERS NEED TO BE AWARE OF WATERBORNE BUGS THROUGH SUMMER 

21st October 2015 - WEST WALLSEND SWIM CENTRE EQUIPPED TO MEET FUTURE DEMANDS

11th June 2015 - NAPPY SUPPLIER TARGETS ‘CODE BROWN’ AQUATIC CENTRE INCIDENTS 

15th December 2013 - VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT ISSUES SUMMER REMINDER ON HEALTHY SWIMMING POOL HABITS

26th March 2013 - VICTORIA RECORDS FOUR-FOLD INCREASE IN CRYPTOSPORIDIUM IN PUBLIC POOLS 

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