Outcomes

To make it easier for councils to detect and respond to Aerated Wastewater Treatment System failures by:

• creating a standard AWTS service report template
• developing processes to use new technology and legislative review to improve the management of these systems.

Background and purpose

Across South Australia, there are 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 to approve and supervise how onsite wastewater systems are managed on household and commercial properties. This is enforced through the Public Health (Wastewater) Regulations.

An Aerated Wastewater Treatment System (AWTS) is used on properties which can’t be connected to an SA Water sewage system. They use a process of aeration followed by clarification to treat wastewater.

After an AWTS is installed, it needs to be checked every three months by trained experts who send their reports to council.

With thousands of these types of systems over South Australia and so many reports, it is difficult for councils to check them all.

When these systems stop working correctly, the problem can go unnoticed for long periods of time. This is results in poor outcomes for both public health and the environment.

This project aims to make documentation and review of the AWTS easier, quicker and more consistent through technology, standardisation and regulation.

The inefficiencies it will address include:

1. lack of council coordination and cooperation
2. high variability in reporting by different stakeholders
3. illegible or invalid reports
4. manual interpretation of different reports
5. dated and inefficient information management.

This project will tackle these issues by making administrative systems more consistent and modern.

Who is this for?

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

How the project is being delivered

The project was initiated by a subcommittee within the Environmental Health Australia Wastewater Special Interest Group (the AWTS service subcommittee). It was inspired by the success of systems in other states.

Phase one of the project, which concentrates on making AWTS service reporting consistent, will be led by Environmental Health Australia.

Environmental Health Australia will work with industry and local and state government to establish a standard AWTS report template.

They will also work with legal experts to address the current constraints in the law and develop strategies to improve them in the future.

Phase two of the project will create a plan to better manage AWTS service reports and provide more efficient information to councils through modern IT tools.

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

Project progress, 28 March 2024

Project Completion: 30%

The project has commenced with the development of a comprehensive project and engagement plan.

In the early stages of the project, the project steering committee has:

• identified AWTS service entities operating statewide, and completed interviews with 7 industry representatives
• commenced a comparative assessment of AWTS service report templates used by industry, including comparing it to Auckland Council's process.
• commenced engagement with key industry and local government stakeholders to raise awareness of the project and collect information to support project implementation.