Temperatures continue to rise, but locals will have to find another way to beat the heat now that Gunnedah's 50m pool opening day has been delayed more than five weeks.
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The completion of specialised repairs to the movement joint seal was originally set for Saturday, but the work is taking longer than expected and is now likely to be finished by New Year's Day.
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Gunnedah Shire Council's chief engineer Daniel Noble said they were disappointed that the open date was delayed but they're "better off taking more time and having the best quality repair".
"We have been working hard with the contractor to come up with the best possible timeline. It is critical that the repairs are absolutely solid before the pool reopens, and the contractor's advice is that it is that this is unlikely to be completed any sooner," he said.
"Council believed it was important to prevent any water wastage at this time of drought and we needed to pursue the repairs during the contractor's defect liability period. Unfortunately, those repairs are taking longer than we were originally advised."
The leak was first detected in August and was traced to the movement joint. About 1.5ML of water was drained so the area could be examined and then the remainder was emptied.
Mr Noble said the contractor doing the repairs, Metz, first examined the leak in mid-October, and hoped the work would be complete by mid-December.
He said time must then be allowed for the materials to cure and the tiles to be replaced. The pool will then be slowly filled to prevent any damage, and tests will be carried out to check if the leak has been fixed.
Taking into account potential rain and the Christmas period, the pool is unlikely to be ready before New Year's Day.
In the meantime, the temperature of the heated pool will be lowered to make it more comfortable as the weather heats up.
"It's looking to be a hot summer and we know the 50m pool plays an important part in cooling off during the holidays, especially during this drought," Mr Noble said.
"We're looking forward to a fresh start with our new pool in 2020."
The 25m pool, the kids' wet area and the playground are still open for use, and the Splash Poolside kiosk, operated by Gunida Gunya, is open.
Swimming carnivals that were scheduled for late 2019 have been rescheduled for early 2020, and any season passes that have already been sold will be readjusted for the timeframe.
The fault and all associated costs will be covered under the defect liability period of the contractor Hines Constructions.
