Panel to rule on Wolumla NBN satellite station

The proposed satellite broadband development is located adjacent to the soon-to-be-constructed Bega Valley Shire Council Central Waste Facility, on the same parcel of council-owned land on Wanatta Lane.

A spokesperson for the JRPP secretariat said the panel has already received five submissions on the development application, but will also use Thursday’s meeting to hear from anyone wishing to have a say on the proposal.

The Bega Valley Shire Ratepayers Association, which incorporates the Wolumla Residents Action Group, has already made written submissions to the JRPP objecting to the development.

The main thrust of its argument was not in objection to the type of facility as such, but rather its location and possible long-term cost implications.

“People around here have nothing against the NBN,” BVSRA member Jeff Smith told the BDN this week.

“The issue is the positioning.”

Mr Smith conceded he thought its approval was “a done deal”, but added having the two facilities in close proximity could prove problematic and costly in the long run.

“In one respect the NBN will keep the council honest – they won’t want leachate or vermin anywhere near their satellite facility,” he said.

EPA-approved leachate disposal methods for the CWF include spray irrigating it within the active cell of the landfill, evaporation via leachate storage ponds, or disposal at an appropriate off-site facility. 

There had been some mention earlier in the council’s discussions of possible spray irrigation beyond the landfill footprint if needed – for example in particularly wet conditions when the evaporative method slows down.

However there has never been approval for such a measure and the land “beyond the landfill footprint” is now where the NBN facility is proposed.

Mr Smith claims any leachate disposal over and above what is possible through the storage ponds may mean transporting it off-site, likely to Merimbula, with inherent extra costs.

“The CWF EIS [environmental impact statement] states that disposal of leachate using this option will cost in the order of $25/KL,” the BVSRA submission to the JRPP reads.

“Due to the sheer volume of leachate requiring transportation and disposal in this manner, clearly there will be a high cost to this shire’s ratepayers. 

“Any upgrade of existing sewage treatment plants and additional equipment required due to this added leachate burden will also be at a further cost to ratepayers.”

Mr Smith also questioned where the NBNCo facility would source its power, as what is available in the nearby housing subdivision “is not enough”, especially if the CWF then “piggy-backs” its own electricity use off the NBN’s high-voltage lines – an option considered at the BVSC’s November 21 meeting.

With these issues in mind, the BVSRA recommended the JRPP not approve the NBNCo facility on the current location, or failing that, request ratepayers be protected - via indemnity agreements - from any potential costs incurred in transporting leachate off-site for disposal.

* The Southern JRPP public meeting is scheduled for 5.15pm on Thursday at the Bega Valley Shire Council chambers in Zingel Place. Business papers for the meeting are now available at www.jrpp.nsw.gov.au.

* To register to speak at Thursday’s panel meeting regarding the NBN satellite ground station at Wolumla, contact the regional panels secretariat before 4pm Tuesday on 9228 2060 or email dean.hosking@planning.nsw.gov.au.