South Grafton sewage treatment plant clean up

Consultation has concluded

Loaded trucks are washed down before they leave the site of the former sewage treatment plant in South Grafton.

Grafton and South Grafton were two of the first locations in regional NSW to have sewage treatment plants installed.

The original treatment plant was in South Grafton, but in 2010-2012 a new, more efficient and higher standard plant was built to service the Grafton area. That has left the former treatment plant site at the intersection of Tyson Street and Rushforth Road in South Grafton vacant.

The NSW Government requires all former treatment plants to be cleaned up, and council is now in the process of doing that.

But as part of that clean up council found large quantities of

Grafton and South Grafton were two of the first locations in regional NSW to have sewage treatment plants installed.

The original treatment plant was in South Grafton, but in 2010-2012 a new, more efficient and higher standard plant was built to service the Grafton area. That has left the former treatment plant site at the intersection of Tyson Street and Rushforth Road in South Grafton vacant.

The NSW Government requires all former treatment plants to be cleaned up, and council is now in the process of doing that.

But as part of that clean up council found large quantities of contaminants, including bonded asbestos, on the site. Council is working closely with the Environmental Protection Authority and SafeWork NSW to make sure the clean up poses no health risks to the community.

This site is to allow people to keep informed of the progress of that clean up.

CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

  • Thank You for clarifying the purpose of this Council Page. Noting your reply that ‘requests for correspondence are not something we (Council) would deal with in this forum’, I would appreciate an answer about when (year and month if possible, but year will do) Council ceased dumping asbestos concrete pipe at the Tyson Street site?

    grue4u asked over 2 years ago

    Records about dumping on the site are incomplete and inadequate, meaning council cannot give any guarantees about when and where dumping occurred. The site operated as a sewage treatment plant from the 1930s and much of the asbestos containing material may have been dumped before asbestos was considered dangerous, but without records council cannot give any assurances about when dumping started, where it was carried out or when it ceased. 

  • Would you please provide copies of the correspondence (if any) Council received from Government and/or Professional bodies, which indicated that the current removal of approximately 45,000 tonnes (30,000 cubic metres) of asbestos contaminated material from the Tyson Street site was the Only available option available to Council Prior to Council’s excavation of the site?

    grue4u asked over 2 years ago

    Thank you for your question, however requests for the provision of copies of correspondence are not something we would deal with in this forum.  In order to obtain the information requested you will need to submit a formal access application under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (“GIPA Act”).  The relevant GIPA access application forms and information about completing the forms  can be found on Council’s website www.clarence.nsw.gov.au


  • Since the debacle of the Parsons Brinkerhoff soil analysis, has any new soil soil analysis of the new asbestos stockpiles been undertaken to ascertain if there is any friable asbestos in the piles? If yes, what were the results? If no, why are you disturbing the piles and possibly spreading asbestos particles throughout the lungs of South Grafton. Would it not be better to know positively if or if not there is friable asbestos among the piles?

    Leigh Barrington asked over 2 years ago

    The material on site is being removed in situ and there is no further testing being undertaken of the materials on site, they are all being removed.

    A hygienist inspects the works daily and site air monitoring is being undertaken along with the works being undertaken in accordance with the requirements of EPA and Safework NSW. 


  • Hello, where is the former South Grafton sewage treatment plant?

    I love footpaths asked over 2 years ago

    It is located at the corner of Tyson Street and Rushforth Road, South Grafton.

    location
    location