The upgrade of the Hastings Point Wastewater Treatment Plant (HWTP) has been a contentious issue for the Tweed Shire Council (TSC) with strong community lobbying for the most environmentally sensitive option, which is also the most expensive option by around $20m.
In February the decision over which option to adopt was deferred with council staff pushing for option 4 and the local Hastings Point community pushing for option 5. Additional engineering assessment works are currently underway for both option 4 and 5.
At Thursday’s TSC meeting Mayor, Chris Cherry proposed that, ‘the general manager bring back a report on how Council can best liaise with the nominated community representative in the concept design phase of the Hastings Point Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade. How the mechanism for them to be able to provide feedback on the draft concept design and that council actually resolves to pursue the best outcome available based on environmental, social and economic grounds in the upgrade.’
Cr Cherry focussed on the value an informed and engaged community could bring to the process.
The community have ‘put together a team of really knowledgeable people who have got some expertise in this area, and they’re incredibly engaged,’ said Cr Cherry.
‘I think it is a really good thing for council to try to make sure that through this concept design process, we can get feedback from them on how this concept design should progress.’
Waste Water Advisory Group
Dr Nola Firth then put an alternative motion that sought to establish a Waste Water Advisory Group (WWAG) that would look at all waste water issues across The Tweed Shire.
‘This decision has to be made between option five and option four and the difference between those two is financially huge,’ said Cr Firth.
The difference between the cost of the two options is around $20m and Cr Firth said that this was a cost that would be paid for by the entire Tweed Shire ratepayer base.
‘I believe the whole community needs to be involved’ so that ‘all stakeholders in the whole community have a chance to be involved’.
Cr Firth also pointed out that there were a range of future waste water plants that would be needing an upgrade and that having a WWAG would ensure that the broader implications of the cost, environments and community health across the whole of Tweed Shire would be considered.
Staff raised concerns at the establishment of another advisory committee due to the time they take to set up, the administrative burden and the effort needed to keep these groups functioning and that a Waterways Committee already existed.
Mountain resident Michael DeGood, retired chemical engineer David Buick and Hastings
Point resident Richard Gow launch a community petition at Maggies Beach, site of the
soakage pits for the Hastings Point Wastewater Treatment Plant. Photo supplied
Cr Cherry spoke against Cr Firth’s amendment saying her motion would provide a more effective outcome.
‘I just cannot see the harm in allowing our community to be heard on this issue. We’ve already got our community who have rallied, who have organised themselves, who have nominated representatives,’ she said.
Cr Rhiannon Brinsmead, who had seconded Cr Firth’s motion, said ‘the $20 million burden potentially to ratepayers was quite a concerning factor’ which was why she was supporting the creation of the WWAG.
The WWAG ‘will not just be the Hastings Point Wastewater Treatment Plant it will then extend to others (WWTP) in the Shire. If the whole community is expected to pay for this, then I do think that the whole community should have the option to be part of the advisory committee.’
The motion to set up a WWAG was carried with Crs Cherry and Deputy Mayor, Meredith Dennis, voting against.
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