General News
1 October, 2026
Poop project flushed away
PLANS to expand the municipal sewerage network into the Cardwell township have been officially shelved after community consultation revealed a stark split in public opinion.
A report to Cassowary Coast Regional Council’s September meeting by manager of water and wastewater, Simon Page, recommended that council take no further action on the proposed expansion at this time.
The proposal emerged following the completion of the Port Hinchinbrook sewerage treatment plant, which opened up the potential to extend modern wastewater infrastructure to nearby Cardwell.
Advocates suggested a reticulated network could bolster Cardwell’s long-term housing growth, tourism appeal and broader infrastructure needs.
But council officers noted that a project of such scale would demand substantial capital investment, technical investigations and significant external government funding.
To gauge public appetite before committing funds to formal feasibility studies, council ran a comprehensive four-week pre-project consultation campaign in June and July this year.
The engagement effort included online surveys on council’s ‘Your Say’ portal, direct mailouts to property owners, local radio broadcasts, social media campaigns and paper surveys distributed at the Cardwell Library.
The engagement sought feedback on community support for further planning, potential cost impacts, experiences with current on-site wastewater systems and general affordability concerns.
Council emphasised that the exercise was purely exploratory to determine whether to investigate further, rather than a vote on a final design or construction decision.
“The consultation was designed to inform council’s consideration of whether further investigation should occur,” the report to last week’s meeting said.
“It was not consultation on a final design or a decision to construct a sewerage network.”
The results showed a deeply-divided community with no clear majority consensus.
According to council’s finalised ‘community engagement summary report’, 45% of respondents supported proceeding with further planning and technical investigations, while 48% opposed the move.
The remaining 7% were neutral or undecided.
Given the lack of strong public backing and the financial hurdles involved, council officers determined that progressing the scheme was not viable at present.
Under the recommendations before councillors, council noted the published engagement summary report and formally thanked the residents of Cardwell and Port Hinchinbrook for participating in the process.
Most significantly, the recommendation advised council to pause all progress on expanding the network into Cardwell for the next five years.
The issue is slated to be reconsidered in 2031, when council plans to undertake a fresh round of community consultation.
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