Drilling near popular Clarence Valley beach just days away

A brochure was sent to residents informing them of the upcoming exploratory drilling operation which will commence later this month.

A map of the proposed sewage system upgrade Brooms Head Holiday Park.

Drilling is about to begin at Brooms Head and residents aren’t happy about it.

A brochure was sent to residents informing them of the upcoming exploratory drilling operation in relation to the Brooms Head Holiday Park sewage upgrade, to “investigate suitable areas for the land application area for the treated wastewater.”

Residents have taken to social media to air their grievance with the project.

“By the time they are finished, the dune will look like Swiss cheese,” one said.

“Seriously, how many drill sites do they already have and how many more are they planning?” another added.

The brochure explained that “this testing is a part of the Risk management planning process we have been conducting to inform the design of the land application area for the onsite sewage management system.”

Members of the Brooms Head community are ready to meet this Saturday at 1pm to discuss proposed sewage system upgrade of holiday park which they object the pumping of water into the sand dunes.

The drilling is expected to help consultants assess the structural capacity of the frontal dune, to determine if the dune can or cannot accept the treated wastewater.

Earlier this month members of the Brooms Head Community Action Group held a meeting to discuss its opposition to a new sewerage system for the Brooms Head holiday park, operated by Clarence Valley Council.

Convener of the meeting on behalf of the group Paul McCrea told the Daily Examiner their main issue was a sand dune expected to be used to pump up to 160,000 litres of treated wastewater.

“If you had to think of what the worst place would be to put that amount – it’s in the sand dune,” he said.

“Our concern is excavating a sand dune in 2021 when most sand dunes say stay off – it’s the antithesis of what should be done.”

The drilling operation is expected to begin July 20 for three to four days.