Ballina council ‘double standards’

Glen Wright, Seabreeze Holiday Park owner, South Ballina.

Ballina Shire Council Water and Waste Water Manager Tim Mackney states in Saturday’s Northern Star, page 12: ‘We had crews out there prior to it happening because during that major wet weather event we had the other week, all of the sewers were backed up with lots of water.’

Mr Mackney is publicly admitting that the Council sewerage system suffers from water inundation which on this occasion – regardless of excuses – has resulted in environmental harm and a risk to public health.

Another Council sewerage facility, the Grant Street pump station has similar issues.

During this major wet weather event the Seabreeze Holiday Park sewerage system suffered minor water inundation however no backing up of water in tanks, no over flows, no threat to public health and no environmental harm were caused.

Council is forcing the closure of this business due to a ‘perceived’ risk of threat to public health and the environment during major wet weather events.

Council has also ordered this business to bring its bore water (used for showers and toilets only) up to the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines whilst the nearby South Ballina Beach Village which also uses bore water for showers and toilets have not been ordered to do the same.

Council has ordered this business to retrospectively provide sewer to existing long term sites whilst South Ballina Beach Village has not been ordered to do the same.

Council has ordered this business to retrospectively provide sullage to all short term sites whilst South Ballina Beach Village, Alstonville Show Ground and Bi Centennial Gardens have not.

Not hard to figure we took Council to court and received an out of Court settlement in 2012 due to their Sewerage Officer altering the Sewerage Engineer’s design during upgrade of the Park Sewerage system leading to the failure of the system.