If all goes to plan, two brand new toilet blocks at Lake Canobolas will be up and running in a couple of months.
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Installation of all-new amenities at the popular recreation spot will start "at the end of this week", Orange City Council (OCC) announced on Thursday, April 18.
Set for completion in June, 2024, the two prefabricated facilities will sit on either side of the lake, soon to join finished projects such as new paths, upgraded beach areas and a new playground.
The toilet blocks are the next stage in a string of 10 staggered projects to improve the site.
"It's been great to see the size of the crowds enjoying the lake lately," Orange deputy mayor, Gerald Power said.
"Hundreds of people have been making the most of the new paths ... [and] the extra toilet facilities on both sides of the lake are going to complement the other upgrades."
The new units include male, female and accessible cubicles.
One will sit adjacent to the new playground on the eastern side of the lake, while the other will be installed on the western side of the lake - near the fishing deck, picnic areas, and dragon boat-launching platform.
Council says the amenities will be similar to the new toilets recently installed at Banjo Paterson Park on Ophir Road.
Due to begin later this year, a new sewer pump station at the lake will also be constructed, connecting newly-built water and sewer pipelines.
Until the new station is completed at the end of 2024, the new toilet blocks will be pumped out by waste contractors due to operating on a tank-based system in the meantime.
This latest stage is part of a $1.3 million overhaul funded by the NSW government ($1.344 million), OCC ($34,000) and Cadia Valley Operations ($6500).
The goal for all projects is to improve access to the lake's water and recreation areas for all of the community to enjoy.
Developed in consultation with residents, the full list of works includes:
- Retaining walls with built-in paths designed to make the lake's two beaches more accessible,
- Replacing the playground on the eastern side of the lake with more modern accessible play equipment,
- An upgrade to the visitor walkway in the historic pump house,
- Re-aligning internal roads between the lake and the café, including a new pedestrian crossing,
- New line-marking in parking areas,
- A new location to launch canoes and dragon boats, and
- New shade structures
After a successful tender, work will also begin at the back-end of 2024 to install a floating, wheelchair-accessible boardwalk.
It will measure 2.5 metres-wide on the western shore.