The disposal of the shire’s sewage and waste water is a complex subject but equally one in which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has an ongoing interest.
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Council has traditionally supported recycling because it makes use of a water resource that would otherwise be wasted, reduces reliance on town water for watering open spaces, reduces the volume of water disposed of via ocean outfall or dunal exfiltration systems and helps fulfil community and government expectations about recycling.
There are 10 sewage treatment plants (STP) around the shire, all of which manage to recycle some of their treated water with the exception of Bega.
Bega STP used to send all its treated water to Happy Valley Farm but with the closure of dairying operations in 2013, this water, about 400ML per year, is now going into the Bega River.
Council’s water and waste manager, Jim Collins said that the Bega STP was only six years old and was an advanced secondary plant. “It is chlorinated and then tested by NSW Health and is mostly good quality but clarity can be an issue sometimes,” Mr Collins said.
The other nine STPs recycle to varying degrees.
Merimbula is by far the largest in volume handling almost 700ML each year on average from 2006 to 2016. Of this amount, about 20 per cent of treated water is taken by the Pambula Merimbula Golf Club and about 5 per cent goes to Oaklands Farm with the remainder going out via the ocean outfall although the EPA is pressing council to find a better solution.
Council constructed a storage dam at Oaklands Farm, believed to have cost about $75,000, which has been transferred to the owner to operate and maintain. Council also installed 4km of pipeline and a pumping station to get the water to Oaklands.
In broad terms council has elected to look at a deepwater ocean outfall from the Merimbula STP with an added level of filtration prior to disposal. Costs have been estimated at around $35 million with a study costing in the region of $3 million.
Candelo, Cobargo, Kalaru and Wolumla are newer STPs and were built close to facilities such as showgrounds or recreation grounds that were likely to take the treated water. However all of these sites handle small volumes of sewage and waste water by comparison to Merimbula.
Treated water at Tathra goes to the playing fields and the Tathra Beach golf course as there were no other options for alternative disposal in rivers or via ocean outfall. As a consequence council had to pay for the installation of a suitable irrigation system but this was considered to be a one-off circumstance.
STPs at Eden, Bermagui and Tura Beach all supply between 23-27 per cent of their treated water to nearby golf courses.
Both Bermagui and Eden courses have irrigation systems that are at the end of their lives and both are estimated to cost between $1-2 million to renew.
Council can probably expect to be approached by both clubs for assistance in the near future.
Council has a current target for recycling treated water of 40 per cent and is achieving between 26-24 per cent.
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