Clarence Valley Council - Rushforth Road Water Treatment Plant EIS

In recent years, the water quality of Nymboida River has been impacted by extreme weather events, including fires and flooding. To allow Council to maintain and deliver high-quality potable water to the residents of the local government area, an upgrade of the Rushforth Road water treatment plant (WTP) was required. This Project was designated as State Significant Infrastructure (SSI) under Section 5.12 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (The Act) and required an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under The Act. Key Project issues and risks identified whilst undertaking the EIS have included Regulator and /or community concerns regarding potential impacts on biodiversity, potential impacts on heritage items within the project site, potential bushfire risk, and amenity impacts on surrounding residences.

Epic has supported the full project lifecycle to date, including preparation of the Scoping Report, EIS, and Submissions Report, managing requests for information (RFI), and liaising directly with the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI). Epic’s ongoing collaborative approach with the Council has ensured that the development assessment process was carried out efficiently, and that the environmental impacts associated with the project were properly identified and addressed. This approach has involved the Council, subject matter experts, and DPHI in making design refinements, providing further clarification about project impacts, and recommending appropriate safeguards to address any potential impacts.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

• Providing complete life of Project support including Scoping Report, developing the EIS, managing subject matter experts and providing responses to RFIs

• In addition to preparing the EIS, Epic provided ‘in house ’ specialist assessments and planning services required for the EIS, including contaminated land assessment, social impact assessment, hydrology and hydrogeology assessment and GIS mapping

• Epic has undertaken extensive engagement with stakeholders throughout the environmental assessment process, including community members and the DPHI, to develop appropriate safeguards, obtain community and government support