FAQs

In June/July 2022 surveys were mailed to 209 Ulmarra property owners located in the potential service area seeking their feedback on possible reticulated sewerage.  The survey responses were:

• 18.7% of properties indicated they would like Council to examine options for sewering Ulmarra.
• 13.9% of properties indicated that they would like Council to examine options for sewering Ulmarra if they did not have to pay a contribution towards the capital cost of the scheme.
• 22.0% of properties indicated they did not wish Council to investigate sewering Ulmarra, and
• 45.4% of properties did not submit a response.

Council considered the survey at its meeting of 27 September 2022 and resolved to engage a consultant to undertake an investigation of all options for the sewering of Ulmarra.  The investigation report was considered by Council at its 19 December 2023 meeting and Council resolved to place the investigation report on public exhibition (including holding a public Question & Answer session at Ulmarra) and then undertake a further survey of Ulmarra property owners to determine:

• whether property owners wish reticulated sewerage to proceed, and
• for those who wish reticulated sewerage to proceed, how much they are prepared to contribute towards the cost of sewering Ulmarra, noting Sewerage Investigation Charges have been levied on Lawrence and Iluka communities before sewerage became available to them

The investigation report is now on public exhibition.

Ulmarra residents currently have onsite wastewater treatment systems, such as concrete septic tanks. With pressure sewerage technology Council would install a small pressure sewer pump well at your property which would look like the below. These are usually located close by to existing onsite systems. Old onsite systems would become redundant and decommissioned.

Business as usual – you continue to ensure that your onsite wastewater system is operating correctly, maintained (including servicing where required and desludging when required) and renewed if required.  Council's current strategy is that on site systems at Ulmarra will be inspected every 5 years and if the inspection identifies any deficiencies the property owner is required to address the issues.

The works would be funded entirely by Council using reserves and possibly loans.  Under the State Government's Town Water Risk Reduction program a sewerage scheme at Ulmarra would not rank highly enough to receive Financial Assistance.

Council would need to determine a timeframe for commencing construction.  Construction of a sewer scheme will take around 18 to 24 months.

All properties within the Ulmarra village residential and commercial (shown in pink and blue on the map below) areas would be required to connect to sewerage within 18 months of sewerage being available. Under the Local Government Act Council can issue an order requiring connection of a property situated within 75 metres of reticulated sewerage.

All inquiries should be directed to Water Cycle section on 6643 0200 or via email to council@clarence.nsw.gov.au

No.  For urgent matters call Council's customer service centre 6643 0200 (business hours) or at other times the After Hours call centre 6626 6858.

For general request for repairs or a service from council, you should direct all inquiries to Council's customer service centre on 6643 0200 or email council@clarence.nsw.gov.au

All sewer customers would contribute towards the cost of sewering Ulmarra.

Submissions on the Ulmarra Sewer Investigation have now closed.

If Council proceeds with sewering Ulmarra, will connection to sewer be compulsory?

Yes - in that scenario all properties will be required to connect to sewer.   At Lawrence and Iluka properties were required to connect within 18 months of sewer being available. Council has power under Section 124 of the Local Government Act to order properties to connect to sewer.

If Council proceeds with sewering Ulmarra, what will I need to do to connect?

The existing household sewer drains which go to the on-site system will need to be connected to the pressure sewer pump unit.  This work will need to be signed off by a licenced plumber. The existing on-site system will need to be pumped out and either filled in and have the lid broken in or the tank can be reused as a rainwater tank if it is disinfected in accordance with NSW Health guidelines.

How much will it cost to connect to sewer and decommission the on-site system?

The cost depends on the work required on the property (e.g. what length of pipe is required to connect to the pump unit; how big is the existing on-site tank) but is expected to be a minimum cost of $1,000.

How noisy are pressure sewer units?

The small motor on pressure sewer pumps are similar in size and make a similar noise to a fridge.  In some installations the contactors in the control panel which is attached to the house have "chattered" and Council staff have attended those properties and soldered up the contactors.

What will happen during a flood?

While the pump units can operate if they are under flood water (the control box needs to be above flood levels and would be installed above the 1% flood level) in other areas such as Lawrence where some pressure sewer units are under flood water they are turned off before going under we do not want to pump flood water to the sewage treatment works.  Flood water can enter the pump unit through the property overflow relief gully and any drainage fixtures such as floor drains and showers which are below flood level.  There is emergency storage in each pump unit which, depending on how much sewage is generated by the property, will provide several days storage.

How often do pressure sewer units pump?

Pressure sewer units have a level sensor which turns the pump on when the level in the well reaches a certain point and then pumps down to another point.  The volume between the two points is 32 litres for the "E-One" unit and 75 litres in the "Aquatec" unit.  How often the pump turns on depends on how much sewage a household used but based on the above pumping volumes the pump would turn on three to six times per day.

Do pressure sewer pumps require three phase power?

No - the pumps are single phase.

How much did Lawrence and Iluka properties contribute towards the cost of their sewer?

Lawrence and Iluka paid an annual "Sewer Investigation Charge" towards the cost of their sewer schemes.  Lawrence paid the charge from 1998/99 to 2009/10 and Iluka paid the charge from 1998/99 to 2013/14.  Indexing the annual charges using CPI to to June 2023, the total paid by Lawrence properties was $1400 and the total paid by Iluka properties was $3,448.

How close can a pressure sewer unit be to a house?

The pressure sewer unit will need to be outside the "zone of influence" of the foundations but can generally be placed within about a meter of the house.

Can a pressure unit be installed in the existing on-site system tank?

Yes - there are special units called "squat" units which can be fitted in most existing on-site tanks.  For this option there needs to be careful planning as the property will need to arrange for the plumbing connection to be undertaken at the time the pressure sewer unit is installed.

What happens during a blackout?

Pressure sewer pump wells have "emergency" storage above the normal operating volume which is sufficient for one day's sewage from a usual household; however, as washing machines and dishwashers could not be used during a blackout the storage is generally sufficient for more than one day.  When the power comes back on, if more pumps than the reticulation system can handle try to start, some of the pumps will stop due to the high back pressure and those pumps have an automatic timer which will have them try to pump again in about 15 minutes.

How do I know if there is a problem with a pressure sewer pump?

The control panel has a red flashing alarm light and an audible alarm which will activate if there is a problem with the pressure sewer unit.  The audible alarm can be turned off by pushing a button on the control panel.  If the problem resolves itself (e.g. a high storage level in the pump well following a blackout) then the alarm will stop but if the alarm keeps going then Council will need to be called so Council staff can attend and fix the problem. This is explained in the pressure manual which is provided to all properties with pressure sewer systems and can be viewed on Council's website at https://www.clarence.nsw.gov.au/files/assets/public/building-and-development/files/sewer-and-water/pressure-sewer-manual.pdf.

Why is pressure sewer recommended over gravity as the preferred option if Ulmarra is sewered?

Pressure sewer was the cheapest option because a gravity system would have required several small pump stations.  Pressure sewer reticulation can be installed with directional drilling which minimises construction disruption.  Council has good experience with operating pressure sewer schemes at Lawrence (since 2009) and Iluka (since 2015) and the West Yamba Urban release area is also required to have pressure sewer.  An advantage of pressure sewer for properties owners is that it minimises the connection costs as the pump well can be placed next to the existing on-site system while for gravity systems the household sewer drains would need to be extended to a junction on the property boundary.  Another advantage for pressure sewer systems is that if a property does the wrong thing and puts material down the sewer which it shouldn't such as wipes, nappies or oil, they are the only property impacted.

What are the on-going costs of sewerage?

When sewer is available property owners would be charged an annual sewer availability charge which is $737 (2023/24).  When the property connects to sewer, the annual residential sewer connected charge for pressure sewer is $1251 (2023/24), which is $25 less than for gravity sewer systems as residents pay for the power used by the pressure sewer system.

If Council has to repair the pressure sewer system, what will it cost me?

The maintenance cost of pressure sewer systems is included in the annual sewer connected charge so there is no cost to the property owner for maintenance.  However, if the cause of the problem is the property has put material down the sewer which they shouldn't such as wipes, nappies or oil, Council may charge the property the cost of the repairs.  The pressure sewer manual lists things which should not be put down the sewer.

How much power do pressure sewer units use and what is the cost?

The estimated electricity consumption of a single pressure sewer unit, based on information from the manufacturer, is:

0.45kw pump x 0.5hrs/day average pumping x 365 days/year = 82.125kWh/year

The current 2023/24 Origin Energy "Go variable" residential charge for electricity (including GST) is $0.3647kwH.  Noting there are many electricity plans with lower electricity tariffs than the Origin Energy "Go Variable" residential charge, a customer on that tariff would pay an additional: 

82.125kWh/year x $0.3647/kWh = $29.95/year

As noted above properties with a pressure sewer system have an annual sewer connected charge which is $25 less than properties in gravity sewer areas.

If Council does decide to sewer Ulmarra, when would sewer be available?

The elected Council would need to decide when they would like construction to be undertaken.  Preparing the tender documentation would take around six months, calling and awarding tenders would take around another six months and design and construction would take around eighteen months.

If Council decides property owners need to make a contribution towards the cost, how would this be charged?

Again this is a decision of the elected Council.  The charge would be levied on the rates notice as a “Sewer Investigation Charge” and once construction is complete and the property is connected to the sewer a “Sewer Connected Pressure Charge” would apply either from the date of connection or the date Council has ordered the ratepayer to connect (whichever is the earliest) however Council may decide that the property owner pay a one off contribution, and if this is the case it would be charged through the sundry Debtor System.  Interest would continue to accrue on any outstanding debt.

What happens if sewer proceeds with a contribution and I cannot afford to pay the contribution?

Any contribution would be a charge on the property and would remain on the property until paid.  When a property is sold, part of the settlement includes paying outstanding Council charges.  Interest would continue to accrue on any outstanding debt.

If Ulmarra is sewered, can the scheme be extended to also service Tucabia?

Council is only considering sewering Ulmarra.  The preferred option for sewering Ulmarra is to pump Ulmarra's sewage to the Clarenza Sewage Treatment Plant.  Due to the additional distance between Tucabia and Ulmarra, it is very unlikely the scheme would be extended to service Tucabia in the future.

If Ulmarra was sewered and I wanted to subdivide my property, what would be the additional costs for providing sewer to the new lots?

If Ulmarra was sewered any developers would need to pay a Sewer Developer Contribution ("Section 64 contribution") for each new lot created, which for "Upper River" sewer catchments is $7,613 (2023/24).  The developer would also be responsible for providing at their cost a pressure sewer pump unit for each lot.  The pressure sewer pump unit cannot be installed until a dwelling is constructed on the new lot as it needs the power to be connected to the property.  There are three ways a developer can arrange for future installation of a pressure sewer pump unit on the new lots:

1. The developer agrees to engage a certified installer to install the pressure sewer system when a dwelling is constructed on the lot.  The development approval would require the developer to pay an installation bond, which would be held by Council until a pressure sewer unit is installed.  The bond would be $15,922 per lot (2023/24).  When a pressure sewer unit is installed the bond would be returned to the developer; however, if the developer is unable to arrange for installation of a pressure sewer unit, Council would use the bond to install a pressure sewer unit  on the lot.
2. The developer installs the pump well and house service line on the property at the time of development and pays Council for future installation of the electrical control panel and installation and commissioning of the pump.  The current fee specified in the Fees and Charges is $3,666 (2023/24).
3. The developer pays Council the fee specified in the Fees and Charges for pressure sewer unit supply and installation ($15,922 in 2023/24) and Council installs the unit when a dwelling is constructed.

As the installation cost from certified installers is generally less than the cost specified in Council's fees and charges, in other pressure sewer areas most developers chose options 1 or 2.

If Ulmarra is sewered, what properties will be serviced?

Similarly to other Clarence Valley sewered towns and villages, reticulated sewerage at Ulmarra would be provided to properties which are zoned residential or commercial.  There are some properties on the edge of the village which have rural zonings and would therefore not be permitted to connect to sewer.