Building regulatory efficiencies for sustainable onsite wastewater system management

Outcomes

This project worked to improve councils abilities to detect and respond to Aerated Wastewater Treatment System failures. The project did this through:

The development of a standardised Aerated Wastewater Treatment System (AWTS) service report template

This is the first standardised template to be created in South Australia. The template provides clear direction for service agents and regulators.

A plan for the Delivery of an AWTS IT system for councils

The plan shows how councils will work as a collective over the next 2 years to adopt an existing IT platform (WasteID) to enable universal online lodgement and automated screening of AWTS service reports in a way that avoids the need to negotiate the complexities around integration with the various information and records management platforms.

Community of practice

A new community of practice that has grown out of the project is a foundation for ongoing collaboration among stakeholders as we continue to work towards implementing our vision for effective, efficient, and consistent regulatory oversight of onsite wastewater systems across South Australia.

About Aearated Wastewater Treatment Systems

Across South Australia has several locations where SA Water does not have a sewage system. In these places, local councils are in charge of ensuring wastewater is handled safely.

Councils have a role in approving and supervising how onsite wastewater systems are managed on household and commercial properties. The Public Health (Wastewater) Regulations enforce this.

An Aerated Wastewater Treatment System (AWTS) is used on properties that can’t be connected to an SA Water sewage system. It treats wastewater by aerating it followed by clarification.

With thousands of these systems in South Australia and so many reports, it is difficult for councils to check them all. This results in poor outcomes for public health and the environment.

How was this project delivered?

This project has made documentation and review of the AWTS easier, quicker and more consistent through technology, standardisation and regulation.  The template was developed based on feedback from councils, the industry, and legal advice.

The project team compared 16 different AWTS service report templates used by the industry in SA. Overall, there were 58 different questions among the different templates, and not one question was common to each template.

Based on the feedback, the new template includes the ability to add a company logo and seeks support from the industry to support its consumers and regulators.

Regulators also asked for the document to educate the property owner about risks and obligations and provided feedback on their preference for other inclusions.

The project team also consulted with the relevant educator (tafeSA) to understand what skills and knowledge service technicians learn through the mandatory training and asked for feedback on a draft service report template.

Who is this for?

This project will help those who create and receive reports about Aerated Wastewater Treatment Systems.

Project Partners

• SA Health
• City of Onkaparinga
• City of Playford
• District Council of Yankalilla
• Alexandrina Council
• City of Port Lincoln
• Town of Gawler
• Renmark Paringa Council