Work on remediation of South Byron STP to get underway

Published on 30 October 2020

Work on the remediation of the old South Byron Sewage Treatment Plan (STP) will start on 2 November 2020.

The South Byron STP at 1 Broken Head Road, is next to the public pathway to Tallow Beach and the Ingenia Holiday Park. 

The STP closed in 2005, 96 years after it started being used for night soil operations and then as an STP from 1972.

Council cleaned up the area used for night soil in 2019 and from 2 November  the focus will be on remediating a portion of the site that is contaminated with glass, rags, rubble and asbestos fragments.

Phil Holloway, Director Infrastructure Services, said that currently the contaminated material is secure and does not pose any risk to human health or the environment.

“As part of our licence with the Environment Protection Authority, Council needs to remediate the site to meet the requirements of the NSW Contaminated Land Management Act and this is the purpose of the work that will be starting shortly.

“The contaminated material will be contained and capped in an L-shaped mound in the south-west corner of the site and then revegetated with grass and native species in keeping with existing native vegetation at Tallow Creek,” Mr Holloway said.

The remainder of the site will be covered with topsoil and planted with grass and the former sewage treatment ponds will be retained.

Council looked at completely removing the contaminated material but it was simply too expensive with estimates of more than $10 million.

“Whilst the contaminated material will remain on site it will be capped and contained and that area will be unable to be developed or disturbed,” Mr Holloway said.

Council’s long term vision is to retain the former STP site to provide long-term benefits for the community but any plans for the future are on hold until the remediation is complete.

The majority of the work is expected to be finished by Christmas this year with landscaping and vegetation maintenance to be ongoing until April 2021.

The walking path to Tallow Beach will remain open during the remediation project.

For more information about the South Byron STP/1 Broken Head Road, go to Council’s website.

For media enquiries contact Annie Lewis, Media and Communications Coordinator, on 02 66267320.