New sewerage schemes proposed for Loch Sport, Coongulla and Glenmaggie
Gippsland Water is currently investigating new sewerage scheme options for the towns of:
In July 2005, the Victorian Government through the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) established the Victorian Water Trust to deliver the Country Towns Water Supply and Sewerage Program.
The program aims to improve water and sewerage services to small towns in regional Victoria, and to improve the quality of water and sewerage services in country towns currently experiencing environmental and public health impacts.
The towns of Loch Sport, Coongulla and Glenmaggie were identified as priorities under the program.
Loch Sport
Loch Sport is a coastal community located between Lake Victoria and the 90 Mile Beach, consisting of approximately 2,800 properties, with a peak summer population of up to 10,000 people. The township is not serviced by either a water or wastewater reticulation system.
In 2004, Wellington Shire Council commissioned an independent study to determine whether there was adverse groundwater contamination within the Loch Sport township. The study concluded that the groundwater was contaminated with human waste, and that the current wastewater management system (septic tanks) is inadequate, and is a health and environmental issue that needs to be addressed.
Gippsland Water commissioned a concept design for an improved wastewater management system for Loch Sport. The consultant assigned to the project was asked to investigate innovative, low cost wastewater solutions, and develop a sustainable process to reduce nutrient loads into the Gippsland Lakes.
Representatives from Gippsland Water, Wellington Shire Council and the DSE formed a Project Control Group (PCG) to oversee the development of the project. A Community Reference Group was also established for the town of Loch Sport to assist passing information back and forth between the PCG and the wider community. Further community consultation was undertaken by the PCG to enable all community members to have an opportunity for comment.
After considering a range of innovative options for both water supply and wastewater schemes, the PCG opted for a reticulated sewerage scheme, combined with a wastewater treatment plant and reticulated recycled (non-potable) water for the town.
This option will provide a solution to the environmental and health issue in the town caused by the current septic tank system, and also provide an alternative and sustainable supply of non-potable water to supplement the current potable water supply system (rainwater tanks) to customers.
A business case is currently being developed for consideration by the Gippsland Water Board.
Coongulla and Glenmaggie
Under the Country Towns Water Supply and Sewerage Program, the townships of Coongulla and Glenmaggie were among a list of 35 priority towns in need of a wastewater system upgrade.
Coongulla and Glenmaggie are situated on the shores of Lake Glenmaggie in Gippsland, north of the township of Heyfield. Lake Glenmaggie is a source of drinking water for several towns including Coongulla and Glenmaggie, and is a source of irrigation water for the Macalister Irrigation District. The lake also has high recreational values for boating and fishing.
Both Coongulla and Glenmaggie townships have a reticulated potable water supply, which services a total of 350 dwellings. Houses use on-site treatment and disposal of wastewater by means of septic tanks and soakage fields. Many of the allotments are relatively small (less than 1,000m2), and in some areas, the ground consists of impervious soils or rock. The small allotment size and ground conditions combined with the proximity to the lake make many of these on-site systems potential health and environmental hazards.
The concept study commenced in August 2006, to identify and evaluate the options for providing a sewerage scheme for these two townships, provide preliminary cost estimates, and also provide a recommended option.
A Project Control Group (PCG) was formed, comprising of representatives from Gippsland Water, Wellington Shire Council, and the DSE, to help oversee the consultants' work on the concept study, and to determine future actions pending the outcome of the study, including consultation with the residents of both towns.
The concept study was later presented to the PCG in March 2007, and recommended that both townships be provided with a reticulated sewerage scheme, incorporating both gravity and low pressure systems, feeding to lagoon treatment systems to be constructed for each town.
The PCG is currently evaluating the recommendations and will develop a business case for consideration by the Gippsland Water Board. |