The survey forms part of Yass Valley Council’s community consultation and it comes after a forum at the Gundaroo Soldiers Memorial Hall on October 17.

The council is currently considering three developer proposals:

Ian Jones, president of Friends of Gundaroo (FOG), campaigned for residents to select no to an STP as proposed in the options study by the NSW Public Works Advisory, which the council engaged to conduct.

“It’s important that you vote and vote no,” he stated in a campaign flyer.

Mr Jones cited issues with costs, water supply and other suitability factors.

“Despite what Yass Valley Council’s FAQ sheet says about costs of connecting and decommissioning, independent advice is that their estimate is well wide of the mark for most people,” Mr Jones said.

“A simple job is more like $3,000 and a bigger aerated system at least $6,000,” he said.

Mr Jones also questioned how water would be supplied.

“NSW Planning insists on a sustainable water supply where reticulated sewerage is involved. No one seems to be able to define what sustainable means but common sense says it’s more than what we have,” he said.

However, Robert Fish, director of engineering at the council, said a reticulated water supply for Gundaroo was not part of current considerations.

“A sewerage scheme does not need a reticulated water supply for the village to operate effectively,” he said.

“An STP would require a small water supply to operate; however, this can be sourced through bore water or another means.”

Currently, onsite treatment systems manage sewage and treated effluent – these systems require residents to operate and maintain them.

“Why should Yass ratepayers as a whole and the people of Gundaroo in particular have to pay for an STP when our current onsite systems are working well (88 per cent according to a YVC survey)?” Mr Jones said.

Mr Fish, however, said that while an assessment of on-site systems was undertaken to check whether they were operating as they were designed, this assessment did not test the quality of the output of the systems, so it was unknown how many systems are actually a public health risk.

“This audit found 12 per cent required minor upgrade works and 12 per cent required major upgrade works or needed to be replaced.

“Whether a sewerage scheme at Gundaroo proceeds or not, those systems that do not operate effectively should now be repaired,” Mr Fish said.

“In addition, it is known that with onsite systems there is the potential for public health issues when systems are unable to disperse the effluent effectively in prolonged periods of wet weather or flooding,” he said.

Mr Fish said a there was an opportunity for a sewerage scheme to service Gundaroo.

“With council eligible for a current State Government grant-funding scheme and contributions able to be received from development to the north and south of Gundaroo, a sewerage scheme is affordable based on financial modelling undertaken,” he said.

“If a scheme doesn’t progress now, then these funding opportunities may be missed and the capital cost of a scheme is unlikely to be affordable.”

The council will now consider responses to the survey at its meeting in December, where the council will determine whether or not to progress with any further investigations into a sewerage scheme at Gundaroo.