THE OCEAN pool water at Merewether Ocean Baths (MOB) appeared downright murky on the Saturday morning in late January.
Regular bathers had noticed that the flush of the pool every second Monday had ceased some time before Christmas. Yet just two days previously, the MOB had received the equivalent of a forensic colonic irrigation after its busiest period of the year.
The largest ocean baths in the southern hemisphere, along with its elder sibling at Newcastle (NOB), cop a public hammering each January.
By 7.30am on the previous Thursday, the trucks and tractor were in the empty MOB pool, the scrubbing devices were out, and CoN workers were moving with a commendable enthusiasm given the heavy humidity.
The next morning provided one of the best of the summer following the deep clean. The sky was blue, and the water was as clear as it gets. The concrete expansion lines on the bottom of the pool that assist lane swimmers to swim straight were crystal clear.
Bathers were united in their praise.
While the quality of the water is dependent on the quality of the ocean water at the time of refilling, why can't the pool be cleaned like that every time during the summer months? Cost, I suppose.
By the following Sunday, the water in the MOB appeared as murky as it was before the big clean. Were both pumps that push ocean water from the southern end to the northern end working?
A CoN spokesperson said that prior to Christmas, one of the two pumps at MOB was severely damaged. A pair of denim jeans was found lodged inside the pump, causing significant damage and resulting in the need for a full overhaul of that pump.
The MOB have operated since the unseen jean scene with a single pump. A mobile pump was added to take pressure off the remaining pump until the fixed pump is reinstalled.
The jean-affected pump has now been refurbished and is slotted for reinstatement at the scheduled clean this coming Thursday, depending on weather and swell conditions.
A CoN spokesperson said that while the pump repair would normally have a six-week turnaround, a worldwide shortage of stainless steel resulted in spare parts being more difficult to procure from overseas suppliers.
The fortnightly Monday clean will be reintroduced once all pumps have been reinstalled.
While some regular bathers might have scratched their heads wondering why spare parts weren't on stand-by to address a pump breakdown at any time of the year, CoN has now ordered a third pump to provide additional reliability and redundancy to the two permanent pumps at MOB.
A CoN spokesperson said that "having a spare pump onsite for emergencies will play a key role in minimising future interruption to the MOB's operational capacity."
That sounds like administrative speak for "lesson learnt".
Why can't the pool be cleaned like that every time during the summer months? Cost, I suppose
Additionally, gates that control the water flow at MOB will be replaced over the next month, again depending on weather and swell conditions. These repairs and improvements at MOB are especially welcome, given that the NOB - which in November will mark 100 years since their official unveiling - are scheduled to close next month until at least autumn 2023.
Some of the bathers at NOB will get their ocean fix at either the Canoe Pool or the Bogey Hole during the refurbishment at NOB, while the more adventurous may venture over The Hill to the MOB.
Newcastle's main coastal pools - Newcastle Ocean Baths, the Bogey Hole and Merewether Ocean Baths - provide locals and tourists with both pride and joy. There's also the adored Canoe Pool next to NOB, where generations of toddlers first experience the pleasure of ocean swimming.
Just on the Bogey Hole, last month I wrote in this column that the Bogey Hole had become a doggy day spa, enthusiastically enabled by Destination NSW's visitnewcastle web page. That web page was quickly refreshed without images of off-leash and swimming dogs. As for installation of appropriate dog owner advisory signage at the site, there was some argy-bargy between CoN and NSW Crown Lands over who is accountable for such signage at the site owned by Crown Lands.
A CoN spokesperson responded that CoN "does not have responsibility for installing signage on private property, regardless of whether Crown Lands would like us to.
Frankly, for Crown Lands to request council install signs on their own land is bizarre when they have a budget in the tens of millions of dollars."
That's refreshingly candid.
Crown Lands will pay for the updated signage.
