With the hot summer southwest Saskatchewan has seen, Swift Current's Fairview Pool has indeed been far busier than it was in 2016.

It's a stark contrast to last year's cool, rain-soaked summer. Daily highs in Swift Current were in the 30s for half of July, and the forecast for the weekend ahead calls for even more of that heat.

So it's no surprise that Fairview's aquatic superintendent Melissa Shaw said they've had way more people this summer than a year ago.

"I would go so far to say that it's definitely double as busy," she said. "Most days - especially the days we're getting around 35 degrees - we've been close to capacity, so we're really excited about that."

The capacity for the outdoor facility - which also features a spray park - depends on the amount of staff available. Shaw said when they're around capacity, they have around 200 patrons in the facility.

The big boost in attendance comes from the people there for open swims, family swims, or just to enjoy the splash park, as Shaw said lesson enrollment is on par with what they usually see.

"Our lessons have been fairly consistent with most years," she said, "The nicest thing with lessons is we haven't had very many days have to be canceled because of poor weather. So the kids have been able to enjoy the pool for the full two weeks without having to hang out in the change rooms and do colouring and learn some of the water-smart messages without being in the pool."

Lessons last until the Friday, and Shaw said, "so far - knock on wood - we haven't had one class canceled because of thunder and lightning... so hopefully that holds true for the rest of the week."

Cooling off in the pool is a good way to mitigate the risks of heat stress, but more swimmers means more lifeguards.

"The lifeguards have shortened their rotations a little bit," Shaw said. "We're making sure they're drinking lots of water, wearing hats and sunscreen. A couple of days where it's been a little bit warmer, we've brought in some extra staff just to make sure that they aren't experiencing heat stroke or heat exhaustion. We're trying to look after our staff as much as we're trying to look after the public too."

There's just over a month left in the season for the outdoor pool, though evening hours will be shortened as the sun begins to set earlier.