It could be almost another month before the pool re-opens to the public.

The pool was unexpectedly closed on October 5 after the discovery of PFAS chemical contamination.

Katherine Town Council hoped it would only be a fortnight until the pool could be re-emptied and refilled with clean water.

Today the council says the cleanup job is much more difficult than expected.

"We are hoping it will be opened again in mid November,” a council spokeswoman said.

Initially council CEO Robert Jennings said the pool would be opened last Friday.

The town pool remains closed while levels of chemical contaminants are reduced.

Council acting operations manager Andrew Wilson said the contaminated water is being disposed of in the town’s sewerage ponds. 

"Coffey Consultants have been in to assess the pool and infrastructure, and they have advised us on what needs to be done before the pool is reopened,” Mr Wilson said.

"We need to replace the filter media and clean the balance tank, and all of that work needs to be done prior to refilling.”

“Other matter will be collected and put into drums, including any sludge that is removed, and will be stored at the RAAF Base,” he said. 

Water from the pool is sourced from a bore at the nearby sporting grounds.

The last time the pool was tested, and the results made public, was on September 28 which returned a reading of 0.84 micrograms per litre.

The recommended safe level for recreational use is 0.7 micrograms per litre.

While the pool remains closed and temperatures keep climbing, people are choosing to swim in the Katherine River where many large crocodiles have recently been spotted. 

Hundreds of other residents continue to use the RAAF Base Tindal Pool while the region is gripped by extreme temperatures which is typical of the annual build-up to the wet season.

A defence spokeswoman said almost 750 Katherine residents have used the Tindal pool since it opened. 

“Due to the NT swimming carnival taking place, the Tindal pool is open only at the following times for the Katherine public to use this weekend.

“Swimming pool is open to the Katherine community the following times: