Kempsey Shire Council is developing the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Stuarts Point Sewerage Scheme as part of the State Significant Development process. This Scheme will service Stuarts Point, Grassy Head and Fishermans Reach and provide a modern, reliable means of collecting and treating sewage and disposing of treated effluent.
We had planned to have the EIS finalised by now, however further investigations are needed in two key areas:
Biodiversity Assessments
It has been identified through recent biodiversity assessments that Spring and Summer surveys are needed to better understand and plan for species impact mitigation and comply with state and federal legislation. These surveys will continue into early 2025.
Dunal Discharge Investigations
We are also completing a more detailed assessment of the dunal discharge area to inform both the environmental assessment and the detailed design of the scheme.
Although these items are both progressing, it unfortunately delays the finalisation and submission of the EIS to the NSW Government to early in 2025.
Given the changes to the timing of the EIS and the ongoing impacts of inflation on construction projects, it is prudent to adjust the timing of the design and construction procurement of the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Community information sessions
In light of the above, we have decided to postpone the community drop-in session planned for Thursday 3 October and virtual community session planned for Friday 4 October.
These have been rescheduled to Thursday 28 November and Friday 29 November respectively and the format will be slightly different to the previous drop-in sessions.
The project team will provide a briefing about the EIS, its findings and next steps, as well as an update on the pressure sewer system. Project team members will be on hand to answer any questions. We would also like to talk about the year ahead and the preferred way to keep you informed as the project progresses.
Session 1
Date: Thursday 28 November
Time: 5pm for 5.30pm briefing with project team with question-and-answer session to follow.
Location: Stuarts Point Community Hall
Session 2
Date: Friday 29 November
Time: 8am briefing with project team with question-and-answer session to follow
Location: Microsoft Teams, registrations needed via project page
We look forward to providing an update to you at the end of November. Until then, if you have any questions, please contact the project team on 02 6566 3200 or email ksc@kempsey.nsw.gov.au
Additional information is also available on the Stuarts Point Sewerage Scheme project page.