TWO pumps submerged beneath a pontoon are removing 2.5 million litres of water a day from the Kirrawee brick pit.
The drainage operation is part of preparatory work for a $35 million residential and retail project by development company Payce.
An estimated 42 million litres of water needs to be removed from the pit, which is about 215 metres long, 90 metres wide and up to seven metres deep.
Project manager Chris Ryan said the drainage project started last week and was expected to take six to eight weeks.
‘‘Each pump removes about a bucket of water per second,’’ he said.
‘‘The water level in the pit has fallen by about 300mm in a week.’’
The developer received approval from the Planning Assessment Commission to pump the water into the stormwater drainage network.
Discharge points are in Dents Creek, which flows into the North-West Arm of Gymea Bay, and Oyster Gully, which feeds into Oyster Bay on the Georges River.
Payce is waiting for the state government’s Planning Assessment Commission to determine an application to modify the concept plan, which was approved under the Part 3A process before Payce bought the site in 2013.
The company has applied to substantially increase the residential component of the project to 750 apartments, while slightly reducing the size of the shopping centre.
Payce has approval from Sutherland Shire Council to dewater and clear the site and carry out preparatory excavation work.
A separate application was made to start major earth works before a construction certificate was issued by Sutherland Shire Council.
Is the development good for the shire?
