Draining, dust and pool safety rules when a Coffs Harbour pool is resurfaced

Draining pool water in Coffs Harbour: what we found

Pool water, backwash and slurry should not go to the stormwater drain. Councils and sewer authorities set their own rules for emptying a pool; ask Coffs Harbour City Council before the pool is emptied. Concrete and cement slurry is a pollutant under NSW law. This page covers draining pool water, dust and the pool register, and says where we found nothing. We are a referral service. The contractor carries out the work and is responsible for any licence or certificate that applies.

Coffs Harbour City Council's liquid trade waste procedure (PRO-093, approved 10 October 2023) excludes "residential swimming pool backwash" from liquid trade waste. It treats non-residential pools as a classification A, charging category 1 activity and water treatment backwash as classification C. Trade wastes need written approval before discharge to the sewer, and approvals are not transferable. Roof, rain, surface, seepage or ground water must not go to the sewer "unless specifically permitted".

The document does not address emptying pool water, chlorine, salt, concrete or slurry. We have not found Coffs Harbour's rule for emptying a residential pool, so we do not state one. The council's swimming pool approval and safety page covers new pools and the register, and does not mention repairs, resurfacing or draining. Ask council before the pool is emptied. Ask your contractor who contacts council, where the water goes and how slurry is collected.

What other councils say, as examples only

None of the following is a Coffs Harbour rule. These sources show what a sewer authority or council may require, so you know what to ask.

We give no fine amounts, since they differ by council and by offence. Salt matters here: if the pool is salt water, ask whether dissolved solids limits could apply. The finish comparison covers salt compatibility of products.

Dust and chemicals: silica rules when concrete is ground or chiselled

Silica controls are required when cutting or grinding concrete; ask how dust is controlled. SafeWork NSW lists wet dust suppression and on-tool extraction as controls, masks to Australian Standards fit tested when starting and every 12 months, and a workplace exposure standard for respirable crystalline silica of 0.05 mg/m3 averaged over 8 hours (SafeWork NSW silica page). Its construction checklist lists grinding, polishing, jack hammering or chiselling of concrete or masonry as high-risk activities, and the code of practice lists angle grinding or jackhammering of concrete among the processes it covers.

None of these pages mentions pools. Our reading is that pool resurfacing often involves removing an old finish by chiselling, grinding or blasting, so the controls could be relevant, but whether a particular job is covered is for the contractor and SafeWork NSW. We publish no silica percentage and make no pool-specific claim.

Chemicals need care too. Manufacturer guides call for acid etching and neutralising, and two chlorinated rubber data sheets describe their products as flammable or needing ventilation. We found no SafeWork NSW page on pool acid handling. Another council's fact sheet says acid wash water must not go to the sewer, so ask where it goes.

The NSW Swimming Pool Register: every pool, including spas

Coffs Harbour City Council's page says all pools, including spas, must be registered on the NSW Swimming Pool Register. The ABLIS entry for pool registration names the Swimming Pools Act 1992 and the Swimming Pools Regulation 2018 (ABLIS entry); we have not read the Regulation text. After registration, an inspection by council or an accredited certifier can lead to a compliance certificate, which is valid for three years while the barrier is unchanged. Fees exist, and we give none.

The Swimming Pool Register information page says selling needs a certificate of registration plus a certificate of compliance, an occupation certificate or a certificate of non-compliance. Leasing needs registration plus a certificate of compliance or an occupation certificate. Landlords and agents should check the pool's status before a lease starts.

The pool barrier, renovations and which standard applies

The Register page says that if the pool barrier is modified or altered, which "may include house and yard renovations", the current Act, Regulation and AS 1926.1 apply and previous exemptions no longer apply. SPASA, an industry body and not a regulator, says existing pools can keep the standard they were built under unless the barrier is substantially changed (SPASA barrier rules overview).

Which edition of AS 1926.1 applies is unsettled in the pages we read. The Register page names the 2012 edition. One other council's FAQ describes a 2024 edition as the latest, with an anticipated transition date of 1 May 2027 (council FAQ). Ask council or the certifier which applies on the day.

Resurfacing alone is not addressed on these pages. Our reading, and not an official statement, is that a job which removes, relocates or alters fencing, gates or coping near the barrier may bring the barrier rules in. Ask council or a certifier when the barrier or access is touched. The renovation and retiling page covers coping and tiles.

Who to ask at Coffs Harbour City Council

Telephone 02 6648 4000. The council page says the number can be used at any hour if the matter is urgent. Email coffs.council@chcc.nsw.gov.au. The Customer Service Centre is at Yarrila Place, Level 1, 27 Gordon Street, Coffs Harbour, open Monday to Friday 9.00am to 3.30pm. The postal address is Locked Bag 155, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450.

The council is the same whichever suburb the pool is in: central Coffs Harbour, Sawtell, Toormina and Boambee East, Woolgoolga or Korora and Moonee Beach. For the licence side, read the licence, contract and warranty page, and for the steps themselves the process guide.