FAQs

The proposed upgrades involve the development of a Dissolved Air Flotation and Filtration (DAF/F) treatment facility, which includes flocculation tanks, DAF/F tanks, electrical switch room, backwash water tanks and backwash balance tanks. The DAF/F treatment facility is involved in the water treatment process by clarifying raw water by removing suspended matter, such as sediment in the water.

Raw water sources for the Rushforth Road Water Treatment Plant have begun to decline over recent years due to several extreme weather events, including bushfires and flooding. To maintain potable (drinking) water quality, the current infrastructure at the site is operating at maximum capacity. Therefore, upgrading the Water Treatment Plant infrastructure will enable improved potable water quality and help manage the increased power demand. The upgrade will also enable Council to meet recent changes to the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

Dissolved air flotation/filtration (DAF/F) is a water treatment process. Coagulant (generally aluminium sulphate, also called alum) is first added to the incoming raw water to assist suspended solids and colloidal particles to clump together. Air is then pumped into the raw water under pressure and released at atmospheric pressure in a flotation tank. The released air forms tiny bubbles that adhere to suspended matter, causing them to float to the surface of the tank where they are removed by a skimming device. The water is then passed through dual media filtration to remove the remaining particles. An advantage of the DAF/F process is that if the raw water is relatively clean the DAF component of the treatment process can be turned off, relying solely on the dual media filtration for treatment, which reduces power consumption by about 30%.

Council has two main drinking water sources - a gravity "run of the river" supply from the Nymboida River and pumping water from the off-creek storage at Shannon Creek Dam. As the current water treatment does not include a filtration process, the drinking water source has had to be selected based on the cleanest water. This has meant for example, that water has had to be pumped from Shannon Creek Dam (with associated electricity cost and carbon footprint) when the gravity water supply in the Nymboida River has been too dirty. There has also been a potential risk of algae outbreaks in both water sources as the current water treatment does not address algae. The proposed upgrade will enable water to be extracted from the Nymboida River even when it is dirty, and also allow algae outbreaks to be managed.

The proposed upgrade will also enable drinking water to meet the recently introduced (September 2022)  "Health Based Targets" in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG), which have increased treatment requirements.

The proposed upgrade will improve drinking water quality for around 40,000 customers supplied by the Rushforth Road Water Treatment Plant. The EIS will assess both construction and operational impacts, and it is anticipated there will be some short term construction impacts on neighbouring properties, but very little change is expected from the current operations. The works will be undertaken so that the existing water treatment plant will continue to operate during construction.  

The Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act) is the principal planning legislation for NSW. The EP&A Act and the EP&A Regulation provide the framework for assessing environmental impacts and determining planning approvals for developments and activities in NSW. 

Under Part 5 of the EP&A Act, the proposed upgrades for the Rushforth Water Treatment Plant are considered State Significant Infrastructure (SSI) and requires assessment in accordance with the provisions of the EP&A Act, which includes the preparation of an EIS. As the development is considered SSI, the determination of the EIS will be made by the Department of Planning.

Determination of the EIS will give Council planning approval to undertake the upgrade, and the planning approval requires the project to commence within two years of the determination otherwise the approval will lapse. Council has not made a definitive decision about whether to proceed with the upgrade, and it is anticipated a decision regarding whether to proceed will be taken following the EIS determination. If Council decides to proceed with the upgrade, preparation, calling and awarding of design and construction tenders is expected to take between nine and 12 months, with construction expected to take between 18 and 24 months.