Nelligen Water Supply and Sewerage Scheme
Project: Providing a reticulated pressure sewerage scheme and water supply to 160 village properties.
Timeframe:
- 2020-21: Design work
- 2023: Construct water reservoirs
- 2023-24: Construct pumping stations and mains
- 2024:
- Construct water and sewer mains within the village
- Install pressure sewer systems on properties
- Schemes operational (late 2024)
Status: Complete
Cost and funding: NSW Government is providing $3.5 million through the Safe and Secure Water Program. Council will contribute the remaining required funds.
Page last updated: December 2024
Details
We have worked to: provide a water supply and sewage scheme to service individual properties in Nelligen.
Benefits to the community:
- The Nelligen community have always relied on tank water either collected on-site or delivered by truck. Many properties have not been able to collect and store sufficient rainwater. The new infrastructure is now transferring potable water from Batemans Bay to each property, ensuring an ongoing supply.
- The new sewerage scheme is now collecting sewage from individual properties and pumping it to the Batemans Bay Sewage Treatment Plant. This has replaced on-site sewage management systems (such as septic tanks and envirocycles). Many Nelligen properties haven't had suitable space or soil for on-site sewage disposal, leading to increased pump-outs and system failures.
The new systems now link into existing water and sewer infrastructure in Batemans Bay.
Council’s long-term water and sewer strategic plan includes this project:
We have installed a pump station and pipeline to transfer water from Batemans Bay to a new water supply reservoir - large concrete storage tank - on Clyde Road, North Batemans Bay. From here, the water is gravity fed to another new reservoir, recently built on Old Nelligen Road, Nelligen. We have designed these reservoirs to ensure there is adequate supply for firefighting purposes, even during times of peak holiday demand.
From here, the water is gravity-feeding to individual properties in the Nelligen village. Our part of the work finishes at the water meter and connection point installed just inside the boundary of each property.
Property owners can now arrange for a licensed plumber to connect their property’s water pipes to the new meter.
Property owners can keep their rainwater tanks as either a primary or supplementary water supply, in keeping with appropriate plumbing regulations.
A reticulated system has been installed throughout the village to collect sewage from individual properties. A new pumping station and rising main is transferring the waste to the Batemans Bay Sewage Treatment Plant.
The new system replaces existing on-site sewage management systems, such as septic tanks and pump outs, and will reduce the risk of harm to the environment and public health.
A pump unit has been installed below ground on each property to collect and pump sewage to the street mains via a new pipe and a boundary kit. The pump unit is approximately 1m in diameter and 2m deep.
In comparison to a traditional gravity-fed system, a pressure sewerage system has lower installation costs and reduced environmental and social impacts. The small diameter pipes can be installed at a shallow depth requiring minimal site disturbance. Pipes can be installed using horizontal drilling technology, avoiding deep excavations throughout the village.
The system allows for power failure with approximately 24 hours of storage. Our on-call sewer operators will be available at all times to attend to any issues.
Ownership and maintenance of the sewerage infrastructure from the pump unit to the street mains will remain Council’s responsibility.
- Find out more about Pressure sewerage systems.
On properties where an on-site sewage management system currently exists, we have:
- installed a sewage pump unit, pump, pump control panel, discharge pipe and boundary kit
- connected household waste to the pump unit
- provided an electrical connection to the pump and any electrical capacity upgrades required (provided the existing electrical works comply with current standards).
Vacant property lots and houses under construction without an on-site sewage management system have a connection point (boundary kit) installed only. Future development applicants (for new dwellings) will need to liaise with our Water and Sewer team to arrange installation of a new pressure sewerage system.
To help transfer sewage from Nelligen to the Batemans Bay Sewage Treatment Plant we built a pumping station on Council-owned land in Bridge View Road. It has been designed to minimise impact on amenity for residents and visitors and will be largely screened from view by existing vegetation.
The station includes a 100kL concrete tank (3m tall) and a single storey brick building (approximately 90m²). All mechanical and electrical equipment is housed within this building. Odours from the station are minimised thanks to an odour control system.
Property owners will be responsible for the following costs:
Water
- connection of household plumbing to the new mains water supply
- an annual standard fee (starting from July 2025)
- water usage (currently $4.10 per 1,000 litres for the 2024-25 financial year)
Sewerage
- decommissioning of existing on-site sewage management systems eg septic tanks
- an annual standard sewer rate (starting July 2025)
- electrical running costs, approximately $50 per year (for a four-person dwelling).
Future development applicants (for new dwellings) will need to liaise with our Water and Sewer team to arrange installation of a new pressure sewerage system. The standard fee is $13,756 (2024-25 financial year) for the installation.
We engaged NSW Public Works to assess the potential impacts that may result from activities associated with the project. They prepared a Review of Environmental Factors for the following:
Updates
2024
- We kicked off the year with a community drop-in session at Mechanics Institute on 19 January. Everyone was welcome to come along and find out about the upcoming water and sewer work within the village and on properties.
- Leonne Constructions started installing the water and sewer infrastructure in the streets of Nelligen and on properties within the scheme.
- Work on the pipelines and pump stations to get the water to Nelligen and the sewage to Batemans Bay continued through to the middle of the year.
- In December, the water and sewer work were completed and we notified property owners.
2023
- Leed Engineering and Construction built two concrete water reservoirs; one in North Batemans Bay and the other in Nelligen.
- We awarded the contract to install the pipelines and build the pump stations to Leed Engineering and Construction. Work started in June.
- In December we engaged Ledonne Constructions to install the infrastructure within the village starting onsite from late January 2024.
2022
- Further environmental assessments and reviews of the project took place to work out the best possible path for the new infrastructure. We changed the alignment of water and sewer pipelines running from Batemans Bay to Nelligen to minimise impacts to the local environment.
- We awarded the tender for construction of the two water reservoirs to Leed Engineering and Construction.
- Late in the year we advertised the tenders for construction of the water and sewer pump stations and mains.
2021
- We hosted a community drop-in session at the Mechanics Institute of Nelligen in January to provide information about the upcoming provision of water and sewerage services.
- Everyone was welcome to come along to discuss the project design, construction and operation. Components of the new pressure sewer infrastructure were on display.
2020
- A planned community drop-in session was postponed due to the bushfire emergency in January and again in March due to Covid.
- PS Solutions met with individual property owners to discuss and prepare a plan for the location of the pressure sewer equipment and water meter.
- Large water pipe and sewer pipes were installed beneath the Clyde River as part of the project. The pipes were installed using a technique called horizontal directional drilling.
2019
- We engaged Landmark Surveys to undertake cadastral and engineering surveys throughout the village between November 2019 and February 2020. The data will allow us to develop accurate plans to ensure the new water and sewer components will be installed within property boundaries.
More info
Download a fact sheet about the project:
For further details, please contact our Water and Sewer Projects Engineer, Billy Alves:
- T: 02 4474 1000
- E: Council
