Committee members, who have vowed to fight to save their club, are making a splash after being told they might have to cough up cash for the provision of a lifeguard for after-hours swim meets.

They fear the charges - designed to reduce council's own outgoings - will sink the club.

At the very least the estimated $1800 annual bill is expected to result in membership fees being doubled or even trebled.

"We do not have these funds available and that puts our future in doubt," club president Andrea Lenane said.

"We increased our membership fees last year to $15 per person or $35 for families - and even if we fundraise it looks like we'll have to put them up again, probably by a very substantial amount.

"Yet the whole idea of the club is to encourage swimming, not to push people away by making it too expensive."

Council's new policy requires after-hours user groups at each of its four pools to either hire qualified lifeguards at a cost of $30 per hour - for a minimum of four hours each session - or supply volunteers to undergo the appropriate training.

However, investigations have revealed Bundanoon Swimming Club may yet be exempt from the charges, due to the fact a maximum of only four of the club's 70-odd members will be in the water at any time.

Guidelines for safe pool operations issued by the Royal Life Saving Society suggest that competition organisers may be able to supervise the meets themselves, provided at least one person on the poolside holds a current rescue qualification, such as a bronze medallion.

A meeting between representatives of Bundanoon Swimming Club and council's civil services co-ordinator Peter Byrne was scheduled for yesterday afternoon to determine the need for an actual lifeguard.

"It will depend on numerous variables, including the numbers they're going to have in the pool," council's parks and property manager Peter Bowmer said.