The Village of Sidney requires that all swimming pools constructed, maintained, and operated according to state and local laws regulating such activities. This chapter contains comprehensive regulations and standards intended to protect public health, safety, environmental sustainability and ensure swimmers and residents of the Village of Sidney can live a safer life.
Murray Rose made a splashy entrance at “the Wonder Pool,” located under Sydney Harbour Bridge. At 10, he won both New South Wales under-14 110 yards freestyle titles before going on to an incredible gold medal career as an Olympic champion.
Sidney’s oldest indoor pool was opened in 1936 and still features its original plaster walls for maximum cooling during summer months. Dubbed after former Australian swimming star Boy Charlton, the modernised version refurbished in 2012 is popular among inner city swimmers and Rehabilitation Services aquatic therapy program participants alike.
HealthWorks facility features an Endless Pool measuring 15′ x 15′ that can be reached through a motorized chair lift for patients with mobility issues. Alongside the pool itself, other equipment will also be utilized such as resistance and buoyancy training devices and therapeutic exercises that utilize underwater treadmills or in and out of water to enhance rehabilitation programs.
Village officials have implemented a sanitary inspection and enforcement program specifically tailored for outdoor pool owners in order to ensure public health and safety standards are upheld. Inspectors conduct routine visits of private pools on a scheduled basis and issue notices of violation when necessary.
Village inspectors will visit any pool suspected of contamination and collect samples of water from both its surface and surrounding vegetation and soil to test for Enterococci bacteria, an indicator of faecal contamination.
Future results could enable the Village of Sidney to use these results to develop a map displaying locations of both contaminated and non-contaminated swimming pools for public consumption, providing them with the information needed to make informed decisions regarding where they should swim safely. In addition, information gathered will help educate pool owners on ways to prevent pollution in their pools in order to keep Sydney’s waters and beaches cleaner, protecting residents’ health and wellbeing while potentially decreasing incidents of infectious diseases like E-coli or Typhoid Fever which threaten lives while improving quality of life overall for residents in Sydney.