Sewage treatment plant site endorsed

“It’s a good news story and to engage Public Works to undertake the project,” council’s director engineering services Theo Panagopoulos told council.

“It’s a very important project and expected for Corowa to grow as a local government area. It’s an exciting bit of work undertaken over the past 18 months.”

In an Options Report by NSW Public Works, five sites have been assessed as potential locations for the new Corowa sewage treatment plant: Site 1 northern end of Lot 2 DP 852272, 311 Redlands Road Corowa; Site 2 southern end of Lot 2 DP 852272, 311 Redlands Road Corowa; Site 3 Corner Redlands Road and Fergusons Road, Collendina; Site 4 Existing STP Lot 1 DP1182703 Nixon Street Corowa; Site 4a. Existing STP maturation lagoons Lot 2 DP 187583 Nixon Street Corowa.

An assessment for each site was undertaken taking into consideration zoning, SEPPs, approvals and permits, heritage, access and services, noise, flora and fauna, air quality, water quality and soil, visual, waste and land use/amenity. The assessment included the construction phase and longer-term operational phases.

Federation Council has been successful in receiving a grant from the NSW Government under the Safe and Secure Water Program to progress the Corowa Sewage Treatment Plant Project to the tender ready stage.

NSW Public Works was engaged to undertake the required investigations and reports with the Options Report being the first deliverable for the project.

Replacement of the Corowa Sewage Treatment Plant has been deemed necessary to address the age and condition issues, and to cater for future growth; to improve environmental performance; improve the quality of effluent produced to allow discharge to waterways; provide a modern low maintenance STP.

The options assessment included the following: determination of loading projections to determine suitable plant capacity and potential staging; selection of an appropriate sewage treatment process to meet the effluent quality requirements; assessment of effluent disposal via direct discharge to the Murray River and continued reuse by irrigation; assessment of potential locations for the new STP site for the preferred treatment process option; a preliminary environmental and planning overview (PEPO) of potential STP sites to help inform the site selection process and identify the preferred site; a budgetary cost estimate of the proposed works.

As the plant is being designed to produce effluent quality suitable for discharge to waterways, it has been determined that an activated sludge process is the most suitable treatment process for the new Corowa STP. Five activated sludge processes were assessed.

The estimated cost to replace the Corowa STP is $27,291,000 excluding GST. Before Tuesday’s meeting, local ratepayer Robert Pearce addressed council, congratulating council on taking the first step replacing the existing treatment plant but concerned, he said, the preferred option is a secondary treatment plant with the intention to discharge into the Murray River.

“Best practice indicates that tertiary treatment is the preferred option for discharge to sensitive waters that supply water to downstream residents,” Mr Pearce said. Mr Panagopoulos disputed Mr Pearce’s claim of a proposed secondary treatment plant.

Councillors strongly in favour of the site.

Deputy Mayor Shaun Whitechurch said people may consider the site too far from town but “people would have thought that way when the current location” in Nixon Street was decided decades ago.

Cr Whitechurch expressed full confidence in Public Works taking on board the care of the river. “It’s going to be highly regulated and controlled – it’s a positive outcome,” he said.

Cr Andrew Kennedy supported the site. “It’s a council-owned site , the best site,” he said, and “necessary for Corowa going forward”.

Cr Sally Hughes considered having the motion deferred, wanting additional information about the project. “I’m not against the site, I just want more information,” she said. But Mayor Pat Bourke said councillors were to vote regarding the site and that options were presented in the report by Public Works, a fact repeated by Mr Panagopoulos.

“In order to progress this, we need to pick a site and then look at options regarding other matters and have further reports to council,” the director engineering services said.

Both he and the General Manager Adrian Butler said there will be plenty of community consultation throughout the process. A suggestion by Mr Pearce was for the formation of a reference group to include members of the public.

Mr Panagopoulos told The Free Press the next action will be the design stage. “In the meantime, council will seek government grants for the project,” he said.

“Hopefully, subject to funding, it can be operational in five years’ time.”