Oh poo: Effluent issue threatens ski resort opening for snow season

The village has been unable to process any wastewater since the fire broke out late last week and has been closed to the public.

The Blyton Group, which owns and operates the resort, has had its fire-generated challenges before - but on a much bigger scale.

The Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20, which swept through parts of the Snowy Mountains, destroyed the Blyton-owned Selwyn Snow Resort.

It took more than two years for that resort's infrastructure to be rebuilt and it reopened last July during a low snowfall season.

Now the burnt-out treatment plant, which is vital to the Charlotte Pass operation, is yet another setback.

In a statement, the company said there were three options presented to keep operations going as the first snowfalls of winter arrived.

One was to set up a temporary facility using parts of the plant not burnt by the fire, the second was to bring in a temporary plant "package", and the third was to truck effluent from the plant out and to an alternative processing facility, most likely in Jindabyne.

Both the second and third options are likely to be very expensive, and given the road that connects the resort to Perisher - Charlotte Way - is only accessible in winter using tracked oversnow transport, taking the bulk effluent down the mountain would be require a specialist heavy vehicle.

"All of these options present require 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," the company said in a statement.

"Charlotte Pass will only progress with a solution where it can be confident on ensuring it can minimise any risk to the sensitive alpine environment."

The sensitivity of sewage to the company is a result of a 2019 pollution scandal, after which it was forced by the NSW Land and Environment Court to pay $144,000 in fines, plus legal and investigation costs, for allowing 11.6 million litres of partially treated sewage to flow into nearby Spencers Creek over 78 days.

The company was embarrassed and publicly rebuked by the National Parks and Wildlife Service at the time, with the court's judgement finding the operators had knowledge that their treatment plant diffusers needed repair but failed to do so.

After that incident, the parks service has been ever more vigilant about effluent issues generated by the snow resorts and has increased its water-testing regime.

A wastewater expert was due to visit Charlotte Pass on Friday, but the company was unable to provide any updated information.