Richmond Valley Council has started planning for new essential water and sewer infrastructure to support Casino’s growth into a thriving population, housing and employment centre for the Northern Rivers region.
The scope of work will include a new Sewage Treatment Plant for Casino and enabling water and sewer infrastructure to service current and planned residential and industrial development.
New Casino Sewage Treatment Plant
Casino’s current Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) has served residents and businesses well but is coming to the end of its asset life and needs to be replaced.
Work is underway to design a new, modern, flood-resilient STP that will meet the needs of the Casino and provide extra capacity for future growth. The new STP is expected to be built immediately east of the existing STP.
Enabling Water and Sewer Infrastructure
Extensions to water pipelines, new reservoirs and sewage pump stations are also needed to service new development areas, including the Summerland Estate at Fairy Hill and the activation areas identified as part of the Richmond Valley Regional Job Precinct (RJP).
Project status
Providing new and improved water and sewer infrastructure in Casino to address current limitations and enable growth and development is one of Richmond Valley Council’s most important strategic priorities.
Council has committed significant internal and external resources to lead and support the development and delivery of the projects. Approximately $3.6 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 projects are currently in the concept design phase, and work completed to date includes:
- Needs analysis, including structural assessment of the current STP
- Preparation of a Strategic Business Case
- Preliminary studies and preparation of technical reports as part of RJP master planning
- Public exhibition of the RJP master plan during February and March 2024
- Defining scope and the basis for design.
- Preliminary environmental assessment
Next steps
The next steps for the projects include:
- Completing the studies and documents needed to inform planning consent
- Finalising the concept design
- Securing funding for 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.
Project benefits
These priority projects are part of Council’s Water for Life 2050 water management strategy and are catalysts for achieving the sustainable growth objectives of the Richmond Valley 2040 Community Strategic Plan.
Benefits of the new infrastructure include:
- Housing availability: Providing essential sewer and water services for the proposed Summerland Estate residential development area will enable the building of much-needed flood-free and affordable housing for the community.
- Economic growth and prosperity: This vital catalyst infrastructure will unlock the potential of the Richmond Valley Regional Job Precinct, which will offer a once-in-a-generation opportunity for economic growth and prosperity.
- Future-proofing: The projects will serve our community well into the future, providing resilient, reliable, high-quality water and sewer services to residents, businesses and industry.
- Flood resilience: New flood-resilient infrastructure will reduce the risk of damage and overflows during seasonal flooding, reducing service disruptions and improving maintainability.
- Environmental sustainability: New infrastructure will continue to meet the latest environmental standards and achieve ongoing compliance with relevant legislation and guidelines.