Industry News
Charlotte Pass Snow Resort, Australia, has provided an update on the situation at the small resort after a fire broke out on Friday night, May 17. The fire severely damaged the resort’s sewage treatment plant. The small ski resort is just 4.35 miles (7 km) from Perisher Valley in the Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales.
Kevin James Blyton, Chairman of Charlotte Pass, states that the Sewage Treatment Plant, at this point, is still offline and unable to process any wastewater from taps, showers, or toilets. Charlotte Pass Village remains closed to the public, and there is no public access at this point. The team at Charlotte Pass has been working tirelessly since Friday and has met with representatives of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Planning, Housing & Infrastructure.
On-site assessments are still underway on the controls, pumps, and plant automation that were destroyed in the fire, with the first wastewater expert on-site and reviewing the impacted infrastructure, while a second wastewater expert who arrived on-site today will provide additional advice and support.
Charlotte Pass is investigating all potential options for the 2024 snow season. These options include:
- Whether temporary services can be restored to the sections of the Sewage Treatment Plant that were not impacted by the fire.
- The use of a temporary ‘package’ sewage treatment plant for the snow season.
- Whether effluent could be trucked off-site through the season and processed at an alternate facility.
Blyton emphasized that “all of these potential options present significant challenges and may not be operationally feasible in the unique alpine region Charlotte Pass is located in, as well as the short timeframe before the commencement of the 2024 snow season.” All of the options need to be evaluated carefull as the resort can only proceed with a solution that it can realistically achieve in the short time frame it has until the start of the season while minimizing risk to the sensitive alpine environment the resort operates in.
Temporary options aside, the resort is also investigating permanent sewage treatment solutions from 2025 onwards. Blyton endevours to update visitors on Friday. The ski season at Charlotte Pass Snow Resort runs from June 22 to June 22 this year, giving the resort a month exactly to find a solution for the 2024 season.
