The first 2026 meeting for Kyogle Council saw progress on the Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) upgrade for the town.
All councillors were present on 9 February, except Cr Olivia Taylor.
Councillors voted for the General Manager (GM) to commence a selective tender process for the purpose of the design and construct contract for the Kyogle Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) upgrade.
The motion was confidential owing to tender information.
The Kyogle STP was built in 1957, yet according to Lismore MP Janelle Saffin, the ageing asset is now struggling to consistently meet modern environmental standards for effluent discharge, prompting compliance and performance concerns.
Council’s 2025–26 budget and long‑term planning documents highlight the ‘new STP’ as a key project to ‘set Kyogle up for the future,’ though final construction timing and total cost depend on securing around 75% external funding.
No costings, tech or location announced
Lismore MP Janelle Saffin said previously that concept designs and specifications are needed before there is ‘a clearer idea of what a new sewage treatment plant could look like and how much it would cost,’ which implies no public total project cost has yet been set.
Additionally, the project is described only as a “new high‑tech wastewater treatment plant,” with no public detail on the specific treatment process (e.g. membrane bioreactor, sequencing batch reactor, etc.)
The 2025 investigative phase includes ‘detailed site investigations,’ which indicates location options are still being tested and not finalised publicly.
At its meeting, Council also adopted its Draft Concealed Water Leak Policy, and the Pensioner Concession Policy.
Villages without water/sewer
The ‘Three Villages Water/Sewer Update’ report was also noted, which ‘Approves the General Manager to undertake community engagement to inform the future of the ‘Three Villages Sewer’ project and the potential future water supply for the villages (in particular the ‘Tabulam Water Supply’ project)’.
The staff report says community consultation was needed, ‘owing to significant cost escalations and ongoing uncertainties’ associated with the project.
The issue had been identified after an audit in 2010, say staff, which ‘highlighted issues associated with ‘On-site Sewerage Management Systems’ (OSMS) (eg septic tanks and evaporation trenches) in several of Council’s unsewered villages’.
Staff say, ‘A feasibility study undertaken in 2014 identified three priority villages (Tabulam, Wiangaree and Mallanganee) and reviewed options and costs associated with rectifying the problem. The recommended option was to install a modern town sewerage system at a total estimated cost of $9M (approximately $3M per village)’.
Three villages sewering:
‘In addition to cost escalations (in the order of 400%) in the span of only a decade, there are many uncertainties associated with the Three Villages Sewering project that require consideration, these include:
‘No clear current or proposed funding schemes available to implement the project:
‘The NSW Government’s SSWF is fully allocated and in its final round, and the Federal Government’s National Water Grid Fund (NWGF) is not available for sewer projects, unless they can demonstrate substantial water saving benefits (eg via effluent reuse).
‘Other costs (eg cost of additional land and easement dealings associated with the reticulation pipelines) are not included in estimates.
‘Appetite of the community in the three villages to pay for: sewer rates, which would need to be implemented a few years before construction and then ongoing, plus plumbing modification and decommissioning of existing on-site septic systems.
‘Operational, social and environmental risks associated with implementing a new sewerage scheme without a water supply system.
‘Due to the ongoing uncertainties and cost escalations associated with the Three Villages Sewering project, it is recommended that Council consult with the community as to their present appetite for the project’ staff said.
The meeting started at 2pm and closed at 4.13pm.
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