Council offers updates on long-awaited Stuarts Point Sewerage Scheme Nambucca Valley Nambucca Valley - popup ad by News Of The Area - Modern Media - July 7, 2024 The lower reaches of the Macleay River in Stuarts Point. Photo: KSC. KEMPSEY Shire Council (KSC) has provided community members with an update on the long-awaited Stuarts Point Sewerage Scheme. According to KSC, the scheme will effectively service Stuarts Point, Grassy Head and Fishermans Reach and provide a modern and reliable means of treating sewage and disposing of treated effluent. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au Background work has been progressing quietly on the project, with KSC telling residents the studies required for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) are almost complete. Council has indicated all noise modelling is complete, while soil and contamination field studies, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal cultural heritage studies, and a biodiversity field study have been completed and are in the process of being reviewed. Traffic and transport data is also reportedly complete and being reviewed. A social impact assessment, alongside a water, water quality and licensing assessment, are both almost complete, according to KSC. “Once the studies are complete the draft EIS will be finalised for formal submission to Kempsey Shire Council for review and comment,” Council stated. “Submission to the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) will follow in mid-2024 for review and public exhibition with a determination expected in early 2025.” The project will involve the construction of a pressure sewer system to service approximately 520 properties, a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to treat the sewage and dunal discharge for disposal of treated effluent (similar to South West Rocks). For residents wanting to learn more, a community information drop-in session will be held at the Stuarts Point Community Hall on Thursday 4 July from 4 to 7pm. A virtual information session will also be held on MS Teams on Friday July 5 from 8:30 to 9am, with registrations essential. Further sessions will be held at the Community Hall in early October. More information is available at- ksc.pub/stuarts-point By Jen HETHERINGTON Fishermans Reach Road, proposed site of the treatment works. Photo: KSC.