A spill at a sewage treatment plant into the Crookwell River has prompted the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to issue a notice to improve the plant.
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It is anticipated that the Upper Lachlan Shire Council will now decide whether to upgrade or replace the Crookwell Sewage Treatment plant in the coming months, a spokesperson for the EPA said.
An audit was taken after a discharge of effluent breached concentration levels of ammonia and nitrate which flowed into the wetland and the Crookwell River. The EPA audit report said it was in breach of conditions of the environment protection licence held by the Upper Lachlan Shire Council.
The direction was given by the EPA after the incident between May and October 2017. The audit was taken in March 2019 and a report provided to the council in February 2020.
The auditor was unable to determine the cause of the spill, however, the report showed that essential maintenance to the aerators may have contributed. In April, 2017 the council refurbished and replaced the aerator gear boxes. The audit also found that current processes at the sewage treatment plant were unlikely to remove nitrogen and had also contributed to non-compliance.
It also identified further non-compliance with faecal coliform limits from another part of the plant, producing blue and blue green algae which flowed into the watercourse.
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In all, there were 23 recommendations for improvements to the plant, operations, procedures and systems. This included improvements to issues such as undocumented procedures and maintenance schedules, chemical storage, safety data sheets, and evidence of training.
An EPA spokesperson said that the council had agreed in principle to upgrade sewage treatment in Crookwell to meet contemporary environmental standards.
The spokesperson said that before committing to upgrading the existing Sewage Treatment Plant, the council was exploring alternative options, including construction of a replacement sewage treatment plant that met the necessary environmental and health standards.
"The council is currently liaising with the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment Water about water treatment technologies which are able to robustly meet these environmental and health standards."
The Upper Lachlan Shire Council were approached for comment. More to come.
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