West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Monday 14 October 1940, page 13


COODE-STREET JEITY POOL. Proposal Dropped by Board. No further action is to be taken by the South Perth Road Board to seek retention of the pool used by the ferry boats at the South Perth end of the Coode-street service. In view of the progress of the foreshore reclamation in that vicinity and the construction of a new jetty on the reconstructed waterline, the board had proposed that the pool be not filled in, but be cleaned and retained for swimming and boating. The chairman (Mr. D. F. Vincent) reported to the board on Friday night that he and the board's engineer (Mr. E. A. Gorham) had accompanied the Engineer for Harbours and Rivers (Mr. Stevenson Young) on an inspection of the site, to ascertain whether the scheme was practicable. Mr. Young doubted both the success and wisdom of the scheme. The break in the even shore line would not be adequate aesthetically; the pool would harbour filth from the river because there was insufficient tidal and current flow to keep it clean; it had been pumped out three times already and the mud had rapidly made up again; surface garbage could not be kept out; a shell bottom, if provided, would soon be submerged in mud; and it would be nothing less than a cesspool. Mr. Gorham reported that modern baths provided for continuous filtration of the water, which should be good enough to drink; with the construction of the riverside drive a congested corner would exist beside the pool: the drainage from over a square mile of land would drain into it; the cost of diverting the road would be about £150. and providing a concrete wall around the pool would cost £1,500, while the cost of pumping out the mud and substituting a shell bottom would have to be borne by the board; and, as the existing jetty shed was to be moved to the new Jetty in a reconditioned form, a new shed for dressing would be necessary. In view of these reports, the board dropped the matter.