Delay in Opening of Aquatic Centre
Armidale Aquatic Centre opened for business for the October Long Weekend, operating in conjunction with the NSW Aboriginal Knockout Carnival.
While the Saturday of the long weekend saw good patronage due to the warm weather, colder days on the Sunday and Monday kept the pool closed. During that period, pool manager Mr Steve Gollan unfortunately identified that the pools were losing a significant amount of water, far in excess of the usual losses due to evaporation and filter backwashing operations.
Mr Gollan said that all pools lose water but what was being experienced was far above the norm and was costing $300 a day in lost water, wasted heating and chemical treatment costs. Council Engineer Mark Wilson was called in to investigate the losses and quickly established the leaks were not in the pools themselves but in the pool filtration and recirculation pipe work.
As there are several hundred metres of underground pipe work, most of which is up to 40 years old, and with no visible leaks at the surface evident, finding the problem required use of all of the Council's leak detection measures and investigative skills.
"Water leak listening devices, an inline remote-controlled closed-circuit television camera unit and chemical analysis of the water in stormwater drainage pipes allowed the leak location to be pin pointed," Mr Gollan said. "In fact, two leaks were found and the difficult task of repairing the leaks found amongst old redundant infrastructure and congested by other service lines has already commenced."
The major leak requires the replacement of a 25 metre section of a 250mm diameter main pipe, located at depth. The work is expected to be completed by Friday 23 October.
Mr Gollan said it would then take 6 to 7 days to refill the pools, and stabilise the chemical and water temperature levels in all the pools so that the pools can be re-opened to the public.
Director of Engineering and Works, Mr David Steller said he was pleased with the speed and efficiency shown in identifying and rectifying the problem and congratulated the staff on a job well done under difficult conditions.
The Council advises that the Aquatic Centre will re-open on Saturday 31 October and hopes that warm weather will greet the start of this year's outdoor swimming season.
For further information contact the Council's Director of Engineering and Works Mr David Steller on 6770 3852.
Contact details
David Steller
Tel: 02 6770 3852
council@armidale.nsw.gov.au
