The Millicent Swimming Lake’s open season has been thrown a lifeline, after Wattle Range Council experienced delays in finalising the reconstruction process.

Council on Tuesday night decided to extend the opening for at least another six weeks until March, much to the delight of the community.

The extension will enable Millicent High School to hold its annual swimming carnival at the lake when school returns.

Engineering Services director Peter Halton said while council staff had recommended extending the closure date until February 29, subsequent delays in tendering for a contractor to fix a significant leak in the lake meant the facility could remain open for up to an additional two months.

“We did recommend that it would be more beneficial to alter the extension which I’m sure will please the community,” he said.

“The challenge we are dealing with is our consultant preparing the detailed and design and specification is running behind and therefore we have not been able to get it out to tender.

“So we have gotten on the front foot and while we initially thought we would be extending it by a month it is more realistically going to be longer.

“When we put our report together we had not been able to get hold of a consultant due to them being shut over Christmas until January 15. Based on the further discussion with them we see an opportunity to keep the facility open for longer which the elected members supported at the meeting Tuesday night which is fantastic news for the users of the lake.

“The lake will remain open for at least six weeks and possibly two months until we need to empty it.

“There is no definitive closure date, but we anticipate at least the middle of March.”

Mr Halton said he had no concerns council would exceed its water allocation due to the leak.