The North Head WWTP Community Reference Group met recently at the Treatment Plant on North Head. Keen discussions ensued after a number of presentations on Sydney Water’s existing and proposed works along Marine Parade from Shelly to Bower Lane.

Works include relining the sewer pipe to ensure that it doesn’t fail and pollute Cabbage Tree Bay. To complete this task Sydney Water will temporarily divert the sewer at Bower St into the main line up to North Head.

We asked why this couldn’t be permanent and result in the decommissioning of the sewer along that section of Marine Pde. Sydney Water responded that there were technical issues, such as the size of the pumps etc but they would consider it and the costs involved as an option as part of the entire project.

The concrete encasement of the pipe in front of Bower lane has been completed and seems to be holding, but residents continue to be concerned about its efficacy.

As the population in Sydney grows, so does the need to increase the capacity at the North Head Waste Water Treatment Plant. To this end the biosolids upgrade is in progress.

This will mean additional construction trucks up and down Darley Rd, through Manly between 7am and 6pm Monday to Friday and Saturday mornings. They will make every effort to avoid the school start and finish times at the roundabout next to Manly Village school.

At the conclusion of the biosolid upgrade, which involves the installation of a third digester, there will be a consequent increase in volume of the biosolid product. Whilst the biosolids themselves will be less smelly and ‘improved’ they still need to be trucked out of the area. At the moment there is an average of one truck per day and this will increase slightly, but the capacity for each truck will increase from 30 tonne to 37 tonne per truck, therefore maintaining the current overall biosolid truck movements.

The trucks take the biosolids from North Head through Manly to a location near Lithgow where it is added to green waste and further composted before being used as beneficial fertiliser on farms further west.