Richmond Valley Council has started planning for new essential water and sewer infrastructure to support the thriving population, additional housing and employment growth happening in the region.

The projects include:

• Casino new sewage treatment plant
• Evans Head Sewage Treatment Plant Stage 2
• Casino Water Treatment Plant upgrade

New Casino Sewage Treatment Plant

Casino’s Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) has served residents and businesses well but is coming to the end of its life and needs to be replaced.

Work is underway to design a new, modern, flood-resilient STP which will meet the needs of the Casino community and provide extra capacity for future growth. The new STP is expected to be built east of the existing STP.

Project status

Richmond Valley Council’s most important strategic priority is to provide a new sewage treatment plant and associated infrastructure in Casino to address the current plant’s limitations and to enable growth and development.

Council has committed significant internal and external resources to lead and support the development and delivery of the project. Around $4.67 million has been allocated from internal budget reserves to progress planning and design, and the delivery team is pursuing the external funding which will be required for construction.

Progress summary

The project has progressed through the development phase. Ganden Pty Ltd were recently engaged by Council and has now commenced the detailed design.  Early deliverables included:

• Design envelope
• Recycled water investigation
• Plant interfaces investigation
• Storm pond sizing
• Geotechnical review
• Flood modelling study review

Council continues to work through the environmental processes, such as the continued sampling and characterisation for a Receiving Waterways Study and engaging with the NSW Environment Protection Authority.

Next steps

 The next steps for the project include:

• Section 60 application (State Government approval for the STP)
• Recycled Water Management Plan
• Plan for the decommissioning and rehabilitation of existing STP
• Securing funding for construction

Evans Head Sewage Treatment Plant Stage 2

Council commenced the detailed design phase of the Evans Head Sewage Treatment Plant Project – Stage 2 in November 2024 with NSW Public Works taking the design project lead.

Project status

The Evans Head Sewage Treatment Plant – Stage 2 will double the plant’s treatment capacity from 5500 EP (Equivalent Persons) to 11,000 EP. This will ensure the plant has resilience to cope with holiday loadings when the Evans Head population can double.

The detailed design for Stage 2 is nearing completion, and the Review of Environmental Factors is in progress to assess the potential environmental impacts to ensure compliance with environmental legislation.

Progress summary

The project is currently in the detailed design phase, with NSW Public Works undertaking the design.

Work completed to date includes:

• Strategic Options Study
• Concept Design 

Next steps

 The next steps for the project includes:

• Complete the detailed design
• Complete the Review of Environmental Factors
• Submission of the Section 60 Application (State government approval)
• Start of construction expected in 2026 

Casino Water Treatment Plant Upgrades

Council received funding through the Safe and Secure Water Program to fund upgrades to the Casino Water Treatment Plant. Items under investigation – such as ultraviolet disinfection, pH correction dosing, various chemical dosing system upgrades, and additional filters – all have the aim of strengthening the treatment barriers against contamination, improving the quality of the water produced, and reducing the risks associated with the plant’s operations.

A detailed options assessment has been prepared and several workshops have been conducted with NSW Health and the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Council will continue to partner with these agencies as the project progresses through the next phases.

Action items were identified from the improvement plan which have formed the basis of design.

Progress summary:

• Process improvements have been identified though a long-list options assessment
• Long-list workshop was conducted to draft short-list options
• Draft basis of design has been prepared based on the short-list options
• Infrastructure options have been identified and market feedback has been sourced
• Operational process treatment options have been reviewed

Next steps

The next steps for the project include:

• Finalise review of short-list options to lock in basis of design for the concept design
• Concept design
• Detail design and construction

More information

Richmond Valley Council and the project team are committed to informing the local community and businesses about these important projects.

We will publish regular updates and project documents to this page as the projects proceed. You can also make enquiries via email at council@richmondvalley.nsw.gov.au or by phone on 02 6660 0300.

Register your interest

If you would like to register to receive updates regarding these projects directly to your inbox, please complete the online feedback form, adding ‘water and sewer projects mailing list’ in the comment section.