Sewage Management Enhancements Coming for Texas

Goondiwindi Regional Council is pleased to announce the strategic purchase of two blocks of land at Texas which will significantly enhance local sewage management and ensure compliance with environmental standards.

Cr Julia Spicer OAM, portfolio holder of Water and Sewage Management and Local Laws, emphasised the importance of these developments. "Sewage management is one of the core services that Council provides. These acquisitions allow us to meet our obligations to the Queensland Environmental Protection Authority for the management of effluent while ensuring compliance with environmental standards”.

One of the newly purchased sites, adjacent to the existing sewerage pump station in St John Street, will facilitate the construction of a new pump station. The original pump, constructed around 1970, is nearing the end of its useful life.

Cr Spicer explained, "With advances in technology and infrastructure, and the requirement to keep the system operating, it is more cost-effective to build a new pump than to attempt to refurbish the existing one. This approach also minimises the impact on the local Texas residents during the construction phase."

The existing pump station well will be repurposed for additional storage, and the new site will feature back-up generator capacity to improve the continuity of the Texas sewage management service.

The second site, a rural property, is earmarked for an effluent disposal scheme. This initiative supports the preferred method of wastewater management in Queensland - effluent irrigation.

"Effluent to land is highly regulated to ensure it does not adversely impact the environment, including surface and groundwater, and to protect human health and maintain soil sustainability," Cr Spicer said.

Treated effluent, which is highly purified water, can be utilised for irrigating crops, parks, and public spaces. In Goondiwindi, for instance, it is used on the Goondiwindi Golf Club grounds.

Effluent irrigation systems require suitable land space, appropriate soil types, and crop species to be viable. Council has secured a parcel of rural land within a reasonable distance of the wastewater treatment plant that meets the necessary specifications.

These acquisitions underscore Goondiwindi Regional Council's commitment to sustainable and effective sewage management, and the long-term sustainability of the Texas community and its environment.