HIS most striking memory was arriving about two years ago to start work at Keepit Dam when it was at 100 per cent of capacity.
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Sadly, as he prepares to leave, it’s about half a per cent – but Paul Irwin says he’s enjoyed his tenure there and is looking forward to more dam good times at Copeton.
The Reflections Holiday Park manager has been shuttling between the two dams, looking after both parks, since before Christmas.
“It was amazing arriving here and seeing it at 100 per cent,” Mr Irwin said of Keepit.
“There have been plenty of other highlights, but that was amazing.”
Mr Irwin said he’d been getting to know “every inch” of Keepit since – literally, as well as the challenges of historically low water levels.
One of them has been educating people that there was still plenty of fun to be had, with drawcards including the splash park, BMX track, skate bowl, tennis and volleyball courts, barbecues and fishing.
Another has been keeping annual pass holders happy by reminding them that, if they needed a water-activity fix, they could use their pass for the day at any of Reflections’ inland parks.
And a third has been ensuring guests have access to potable water.
Seeing the lake levels dropping fast, he and his team pre-emptively built up their storage tank – but there was a spanner in the works in recent days.
“Our pump gave up the ghost, just due to the age of it, so we’re having it repaired and looking at purchasing a bigger pump so it’s more efficient,” he said last week.
So carting in water became a reality – as he’d said in mid-December it might – with up to 7000 litres per week needed for guests and visitors, and to top up the reservoir for the splash park.
A new manager for the Keepit park is being sought; and Copeton’s holiday park manager David Allen is moving on for a sea-change.