MAYORAL candidate and Mount Isa councillor Duncan Cunningham said the city's sewerage system does not have to be completely broken before it needs to build another one.
Fending off criticism of council's $28 million announced last week, he said any move to establish a second sewerage treatment plant (STP) to further the Gliderport subdivision would have to meet current strict environmental standards including certificated operators who are almost impossible to recruit
"Where will it be sited? Who's opinion is the basis of the proposal for a stand-alone system?"
Cr Cunningham said this option will duplicate the existing treatment plant in the southern end of the city with all the environmental concerns that attach to a STP development.
"Certified operators will be needed to run this plant. They are rare and would be an expensive ongoing cost to ratepayers.
"If individual septic systems are suggested as an interim measure as was done at Breakaway Estate, there would be enormous cost to hook it up to the city sewage at a later date."
That option does not fix the city's existing sewerage system which is overloaded and collapsing regularly, he said.
"There are 28 houses in the north side of Mount Isa that have raw sewage coming out of their systems during storms."
Cr Cunningham said a complete sewage capacity study for the city has been done, and the sewer augmentation program is the best option.,"By coordinating Gliderport development with the sewerage augmentation project both could be completed together.
"You won't have to wait for the sewage system to be finished before you start building."
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