FAQs

The proposed upgrade aims to improve the performance and reliability of the plant so Council and the community can have confidence that the plant will be able to:

• continue to meet its NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) licence conditions and protect the dune infiltration disposal system
• manage peak holiday loadings
• service planned population growth.

Yes. Council is planning to undertake the performance upgrade as soon as possible. There is much work to do before construction can begin, including concept development, detailed design and environmental approvals. There is a budget commitment in place for the project to be delivered between now and June 2028, with construction expected to start in the first half of 2026. The project is fully funded by Council.

The biosolids generated at the site receive treatment and dewatering using sludge lagoons and geobags. The treated stabilised biosolids are transported from the site and applied on local sugar cane farms to aid soil conditioning. The grit and rags removed at the inlet works are disposed to landfill as there is no viable recycling option for this waste stream. A recycled water system has been in place at the Les Burger Fields since 2016. It can use a small amount of the highly treated effluent from the Hastings Point plant to irrigate the sports field. This system has not been used for some time due to an extended period of wet weather and operational issues, but it is expected to be operational the next time there is a demand for irrigation of the fields. Additional ideas for using recycled water are welcome.

The dune infiltration disposal system is a sustainable long-term option for the disposal of treated effluent from the plant. This is subject to the dune infiltration system receiving treated effluent of a consistently high quality. There have been issues in the past with the dune infiltration system becoming compromised due to a build-up of slime and sludge layers inside the pipework and the carryover of some solids into the system during periods of inconsistent treatment quality. This has resulted in visible overflows of the dune disposal system. One of the main drivers for the plant’s performance upgrade is to protect the dune system and ensure its long-term sustainability.

The data shows that higher flows are experienced at the plant immediately following rainfall events, with elevated flows continuing for several days following a significant rainfall event. This indicates a combination of inflows where stormwater flows have directly entered the sewerage system through damaged pipework or illegal connections, and infiltration, which has resulted from water seeping into smaller cracks and joints in the buried sewerage system components when the ground becomes saturated. Council has in place ongoing programs aimed at reducing inflows and infiltration such as sewer main repairs and relining. In the past 5 years, we have relined 22 kilometres of gravity sewers. The upgraded treatment plant will be designed to ensure flows including allowances for inflow and infiltration can be accepted at the plant and receive appropriate levels of treatment.

Discharges to Christies Creek only occur during rare and extreme periods of extended heavy rainfall. The plant provides full tertiary treatment for up to 3 times dry weather flows, with discharge to the dune infiltration system. Flows up to 7 times dry weather receive secondary treatment through inlet screens, aeration tanks and ponds. Also, the plant has a wet weather storage pond that can store excessive wet weather flows up to 4.5 times the average dry weather flow, which are then pumped back through the system for treatment. Flows to Christies Creek only occur when the prolonged rainfall continues after the storage pond is full. Records from the plant show this has occurred during 7 events in the past 10 years. Because flows during these kinds of events are rare and consist of mostly stormwater, the impact on the receiving waters is not significant. As such, there is no requirement for these flows to receive tertiary treatment through filtration and disinfection.

The Kingscliff Wastewater Treatment Plant discharges to the surface waters of the Tweed River, whereas the Hastings Point plant discharges to the dune infiltration system. While the Hastings Point EPA licence does not set microbiological limits, it does require Council to test for faecal coliforms at the dune infiltration system.