THE significant rainfall experienced during the year to date has impacted Council’s sewerage system in Macksville and caused a number of sewage overflows to the Nambucca River.

This has affected the oyster industry and resulted in the EPA issuing Council with a Pollution Reduction Program to take action to reduce the number of overflows in order to maintain river health.

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Council’s monitoring of the sewerage system indicates that stormwater inflow into the system during wet weather events is significantly contributing to the cause of overflows.

Council is proposing to address the problem by attempting to locate the sources of inflow and eliminate them.

Illegal cross connections between the stormwater drainage and sewerage systems are a source of inflow and Council will be commencing dye testing of properties in the catchments that have been observed to be the worst affected.

Initially the dye testing will be carried out in Catchment 7 which drains to the Willis Street Pump Station, roughly bounded by Boundary Street, Wallace Street, East Street and Nambucca Street.

Over 200 properties will be tested in this area over coming weeks.

Council will then revisit properties in Kings Point that were previously smoke tested.

Where evidence of cross connection is found residents will be issued with a notice and given 90 days
to rectify the problem.

If no action is taken within that period fines starting at $2200 will be issued.