Lake Cathie Bonny Hills Wastewater Treatment Plant, Bonny Hills, New South Wales

Lake Cathie Bonny Hills wastewater treatment plant is located in Bonny Hills, a coastal town in New South Wales, Australia, within the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council area. The facility serves a population of approximately 6,177 residents and has a designed capacity of 1.00 million liters per day, indicating it is a small-scale municipal plant. As an Australian wastewater treatment facility, it operates under the regulatory framework of the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA), which enforces the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997. The plant's treated effluent is discharged into the local catchment, which ultimately drains to the Tasman Sea via the Hastings River system. The surrounding area includes sensitive coastal ecosystems, such as Lake Cathie, a coastal lagoon that supports diverse aquatic life and migratory bird species. Proper treatment is essential to protect these environments from nutrient pollution.

The plant discharges into the Hastings River catchment, which flows into the Tasman Sea near Port Macquarie. The receiving waters include Lake Cathie, a coastal lagoon that supports diverse aquatic life and serves as an important habitat for migratory birds. Nutrient loading from wastewater can impact these sensitive ecosystems, making effective treatment critical.