Deputy Premier approves fourth sewerage plant for Logan River

A fourth sewerage treatment plant will be built on the Logan River after the deputy premier stepped in and used his powers to grant approval to land developer Lendlease.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles has approved the fourth sewerage treatment plant for the Logan River.

A fourth sewerage treatment plant will be built on the Logan River after the deputy premier stepped in and used his powers to grant approval to land developer Lendlease.

State Development Minister Steven Miles approved the sewerage plant today which Lendlease needs to service its private 3500-lot housing estate, under construction at Redland Bay.

The ministerial approval was signed overnight but announced today with more than 30 conditions stipulated including the monitoring stations and building a “balance tank”.

Monitoring stations will be set up at three points along the Logan River near where the sewage plant will be built at Redland Bay.

Prawn farms on the Logan River opposite where the outflow drain will be.

In documents acknowledging the approval, Mr Miles said there would be no right of appeal or injurious affection compensation for affected residents.

It will be the fourth sewerage treatment plant on the Logan River and was the subject of a submission from Logan City Council opposing the Lendlease plant in February.

Mr Miles said the Water Quality Monitoring Program would have three gauging stations in the river.

One will be near Carbrook’s Riedel Rd, another near where the treated effluent will be dumped and one about 400m downstream of the outlets pipes.

He said the plant must have an alarm system to alert nearby residents and prawn farms of any high levels of toxins or chemicals in the treated effluent outflow.

“I received 97 submissions during the (submission) period which were from local residents and businesses, the Australian Prawn Farmers Association, the Australian Rivers Institute, Redland Coast Chamber of Commerce, community groups, the council, elected representatives and the native title party,” Mr Miles said.

“A risk management system will be implemented to mitigate and manage any potential impacts to prawn farms and human health during periods of system failure or severe wet weather events.

“The risk management system includes a signal-based warning system to alert prawn farmers in the event of an emergency.”

Lendlease’s 3500-lot Shoreline housing estate at Redland Bay is about 4km from the newly approved sewerage treatment plant. This site with underground black tanks will be used by the housing estate until the sewerage plant is built.

Other conditions were to stop erosion on the Logan River bank and on Serpentine Creek.

Residents were alerted to the decision after a notice was posted on line on the Development Infrastructure website on Friday.

The documents showed the treatment plant must also adhere to noise conditions with any buildings to be fitted with acoustic doors and louvres and sound absorbing lining.

Lendlease is also required to prepare and implement a construction and environmental management plan that will address noise and vibration from construction.

The conditions also stipulate that water effluent outlet drains from the plant into the Logan River must not affect where fish can swim freely in the river.

Logan River resident Ken Thomas said he was disgusted with the way the state revealed its decision and said residents had been completely left out of the process.

Logan resident Ken Thomas said he was disgusted with the way the approval was handled with no course for appeal.

“This decision has cut resident out of any form of appeal – that is not fair,” Mr Thomas said.

“We are concerned that Lendlease will not be able to meet all of these conditions all the time which is a worry because it could damage the river and its banks.

“But more importantly, it could also affect prawn farmers and people who use the river could get sick.

“The area is significant wetlands and floods regularly so we hope that the federal government will use its powers to ensure that this state government decision is properly enforced.”

Mr Thomas said his neighbours had expressed anger that the ministerial decision was made in secret and those affected the most found out after it was published on the government website.