Onsite Wastewater & Greywater
Wastewater
The safe collection, treatment and disposal or reuse of wastewater is necessary to safeguard the health of the community and protect the environment. Wastewater is governed by the following:
and its Prescribed Codes:
Where connection to a SA Water Sewer or Community Wastewater Management Scheme (CWMS) is not available, installation of an onsite wastewater system is generally required. Pursuant to the Regulations, all on-site wastewater systems and alterations to on-site wastewater systems are subject to a wastewater works approval by the relevant authority. A wastewater application must be submitted using the following:
- Application To Install on site Wastewater Works(PDF, 203.19 KB
The fees for application are as follows
| Wastewater Systems | Cost |
|---|---|
| If the system capacity does not exceed 10 EP | $125 |
| If the system capacity exceeds 10 EP | $125 + $27.50 for each additional 2 EP |
| Inspection fee | $139 |
Council is the relevant authority for systems up to 40 Effective Person’s (EP), with the South Australian Department for Health and Ageing (DHA) being the responsible authority for systems greater than 40 EP or in areas of the state not under local government control.
Greywater
Greywater results from the use of water in the laundry, kitchen, bath or shower (excluding the toilet). A significant proportion of the water we use in our homes is for washing clothes or ourselves, and these activities produce a large amount of wastewater which, like sewage, is disposed of to the mains sewer or a septic tank via the normal household plumbing and drainage system.
In these times of increased awareness of the need to conserve water, many people are investigating ways to re-use grey water from their homes for domestic purposes such as garden watering.
Council encourages the re-use of grey water, however, it is important to be aware of the regulatory approval process currently in place in South Australia.
In existing buildings, and where site conditions allow, modifications may be made to retro-fit a SA Health approved Greywater Re-use System.
The installation or alteration of a Greywater Re-use System requires approval (as above) under the provisions of the South Australian Public Health (Wastewater) Regulations 2013.
No work in relation to the installation or alteration of a Greywater Re-use System can occur until the approval of the relevant authority has been granted.
All nominated systems and components intended for Wastewater and/or Greywater system use, must be approved by DHA and appear on their “Approved Products List”:
Current DHA approved wastewater/greywater products list:
www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/public+health/water+quality/wastewater/wastewater+products
Under the South Australian Public Health (Wastewater) Regulations 2013, you will need approval if you intend to undertake wastewater works. Wastewater works includes decommissioning wastewater systems.
Please submit the following Decommissioning Notification to the Council’s Environmental Health Team via service@cityofpae.sa.gov.au
If you require any further information or advice, please contact Council’s Environmental Health Team on (08) 8405 6600 or via email at service@cityofpae.sa.gov.au