Reopening of 'centre of the community' Cowra Aquatic Centre

Having been heavily impacted by flooding in November last year, the Cowra Aquatic Centre has today reopened to users with residents again able to enjoy a summer the public pool for the remainder of summer.

One of the most heavily impacted services when Cowra was inundated by major floods that impacted the Central West of NSW late last year, Philippa Childs, Cowra Regional Council’s Services Manager explained that the Council was aware of the impact the loss of the public pool had on residents during the early part of the summer

Childs advised “it really is the centre of the community this time of year.

“I think everyone is excited; in particular, we have a number of user groups, including a very active swimming club that uses the pool just about every day.

“We also have what I believe to be the largest (aquatic) MIPS group in the Central West and I know they’re really looking forward to getting back into the water.

“I think most people have been travelling to (the) Grenfell (Aquatic Centre) in the interim, which is about 40 minutes away.”

Stating that pool was the last of the town’s services to come online due to the level and nature of the damage, which included inundation of the underground pipes and electrical switchboards, Childs noted “our priority was to isolate the chlorine system and remove all the chemicals that could’ve been an environmental hazard before flood waters hit.

“This was achieved by Council staff with much-appreciated help from members of the Cowra Amateur Swimming Club.”

The pool pumps and chlorine system were safely disconnected and all tools and equipment were secured in place or moved to higher ground.

Plastic pool grates, pool blankets, the pool fence and various pieces of specialised equipment lost to the flood have been replaced.

The pool has been drained, scrubbed and pressure washed in accordance with the NSW Health guidelines for public swimming pools before being refilled and undergoing the requisite testing period to ensure water quality was up to scratch.

With these works complete, the pool reopened today at 8 am, providing opportunities for swimming education, exercise, physical and mental therapy, socialisation and recreation.

The 2022/23 season will also see the introduction of the Cowra Aquatic Centre Swim School Program, offering group swimming lessons for children aged six months and over.

Childs said Cowra overall had recovered well from the floods, adding “if you were a tourist passing through town and hadn’t heard of the floods, you might not even know we’d been hit.

“The caravan park got flooded, that’s back up and running; many playgrounds were flooded, they’re all back; our sports field is back online.

“There’s still a lot happening in the background, like damage to some of our underground irrigation systems and water pumps, but all services are up and running.

“The pool is the last of them because it’s right on the river and was most significantly damaged. We’re so happy it’s now back.”

The Cowra Aquatic Centre will be open under its summer operating hours until 26th February.

Images: The Cowra Aquatic Centre is again looking like it did prior to last November's floods (top), the notice for the Centre's reopening (middle) and due to its position close to the Lachlan River, the Cowra Aquatic Centre was among the town’s hardest hit spots when flooding hit and the Wyangala Dam overflowed (below). Credit: Cowra Regional Council.