There are a number of small communities on the MidCoast that do not have access to water and sewerage services.
A risk assessment was recently undertaken which considered 30 villages in the area that do not have centralised sewerage services. A multi-criteria analysis was then completed to determine the level of priority for each village. The higher priority villages are listed below based on their risk assessment ranking:
Cost estimates were also established based on the preferred sewerage solution for each village. The estimated cost of providing sewerage services to all 30 communities is between $145 million and $200 million.
At present, this cost is unaffordable for both MidCoast Council and property owners in the villages, as contributions would be required from those who will benefit from the infrastructure.
The provision of water and sewer services for unserviced villages is now funded through the Safe and Secure Water Program (SSWP). The program was established in 2017 by the Department of Planning and Environment. Currently under the SSWP, we have no access to funding to provide water and sewer services to unserviced villages.
However, we are continuing to press this important issue with the State Government.
We’re also continuing to plan so that we’re ready to proceed if funding becomes available.
Please refer to the following document for further information on our recent risk assessment:
Un-sewered Village Wastewater Risk Assessment and Prioritisation for High-level Servicing Options(PDF, 9MB)