The recommendation of Tweed Council staff of ‘option 4’ for the upgrade of the Hastings Point Wastewater Treatment Plant has been met with a significant community campaign that seeks to persuade Tweed councillors to go with one of the more expensive options.
Tweed Council staff have recommended ‘option 4’ [p240], of the five options provided, for the upgrade telling The Echo that, ‘consultants recommended Option 4: Construct a third extended aeration tank (EAT) as the preferred solution due to its balance of performance, cost and environmental outcomes’.
Residents from Pottsville, Hastings Point, Round Mountain, and Cabarita and Bogangar have been asking locals to sign a petition to persuade Tweed Shire councillors to choose one of the two more expensive options three or five. Bogangar Residents’ Association vice-president, and retired chemical engineer David Buick, has stated that ‘the current option does not address community and environmental issues associated with noise, odour, dune infiltration or wet weather overflow into waterways. Two options that deliver excellent performance were discarded, primarily based on cost.’
They have also emphasised issues with, noise, pollution, discharge into waterwats, and dune infiltration and risk to dunes.
Claims refuted
Tweed Council staff have refuted these claims telling The Echo that, ‘The five options were subjected to a peer review by Hunter BECA [following the original consultants recommendation], an independent engineering consultant, who also concluded that Option 4 was suitable compared to the alternatives. This review validated that Option 4 would address noise, odour and environmental concerns, ensuring compliance with the Environmental Protection Authority’s (EPA) requirements.’
Noise and odour
Tweed Shire Council’s (TSC) Manager Water and Wastewater – Business and Assets Michael Wraight said, ‘The community has expressed concerns about noise and odour, and we understand there is some misinformation about whether the proposed upgrade option would address these issues. Regardless of the upgrade option selected, any new or replaced equipment will be designed to comply with current noise and odour regulations.
Christies Creek
‘No upgrade option will remove all possibility of periodic discharges into Christies Creek during extreme wet weather events, though these are rare – a maximum of six discharge events have occurred in the past ten years. With each upgrade option, the frequency of these events would be the same,’ he said.
‘Option 4 does, however, provide a higher level of treatment for these discharges, because it is able to treat flows up to seven x an average dry weather flow, per day, through the main process tanks. In Option 3 and 5, flows greater than three x average dry weather flow, per day, bypass the process tanks to the storm lagoon. In this regard, Option 4 is environmentally superior in extreme wet weather events.
Dune infiltration and effluent quality
‘The existing and proposed Hastings WWTP treats, filters and disinfects effluent to a standard suitable for reuse as irrigation. A portion of the effluent from the Hastings Point WWTP is currently used to irrigate the Les Burger sports fields during dry periods.
‘The remaining treated effluent is released through a dune infiltration system. This system is sustainable for the release of treated effluent, provided the effluent is consistently high quality. Option 4 improves treatment reliability, addressing past issues of solids carryover and ensuring the long-term viability of this system,’ said Mr Wraight
Further details on TSC staff’s preferred option – Option 4
- Enhanced capacity and reliability: Increases the plant’s ability to handle peak loads and reduces the risk of overflows during extreme weather events.
- Environmental protection: Ensures compliance with EPA licence requirements by increasing the treatment capacity to meet design loads.
- Efficiency and maintenance: Utilises familiar technology to minimise risks during construction and operation, while also offering lower energy consumption and maintenance requirements compared to more complex options.
- Sustainability: Incorporates renewable energy solutions, including a 99kW solar array which reduces the plant’s carbon footprint. Membrane bioreactor systems, such as those outlined in Options 3 and 5, are more energy-intensive, increasing both carbon emissions and operational costs.
- Cost-effectiveness: Reuses existing infrastructure, ensuring a robust upgrade while maintaining responsible use of public funds.
- Consistently ranked best option: Even when different weightings were applied to decision criteria, this option was consistently ranked best in sensitivity analysis.
- Further development to detailed design: Option 4 will be further developed during detailed design to address the issues of noise and odour as identified by the community.
Find out more and attend the council meeting
At the 20 February 2025 Tweed Shire Council meeting, Councillors will consider all available information, including the GHD report, the Hunter BECA review, community feedback and environmental priorities, before making a final decision. The meeting wil be held from 3.30pm at the Harvard Room, Tweed Heads Administration Building, Brett Street, Tweed Heads or can be accessed online at: https://www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/council/councillors-meetings/council-meetings.
Details of the five performance upgrade options, including FAQ and supporting reports, are available at yoursaytweed.com.au/hastings-point-plant-upgrade.
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