On-site Sewage Management Reports
Service Overview
ON-SITE WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT ADVICE AND REPORTS
We provide expert advice and reports for Council’s approval of On-Site Wastewater Management Systems.
Building a new house?
If you’re building a new home and can’t connect to the mains sewer system, Council requires you to obtain approval to install and operate an On-Site Wastewater Management System.
These systems treat household wastewater (including showers, kitchen, toilets etc) on your property. To support Council’s assessment, you must submit a Report that identifies suitable systems based on your projected usage and your site’s soil and landscape limitations. This report may also be called an On-Site Sewage Management (OSSM) Report, an Effluent Disposal Report, or an Effluent Design Report.
We can advise the best system for you.
OSSM includes
- Septic tanks
- Aerated Wastewater Treatment Systems
- Composting toilets, biological systems and Domestic Greywater Treatment Devices
These all require a way to dispose of the treated wastewater via absorption trenches, evapotranspiration beds, or surface and subsurface irrigation. The physical characteristics of your property – slope, water flow lines, soil type and geological features – and projected usage, will have an impact on how and where wastewater can be disposed on your site.
It is critical that you install and operate a system that is designed specifically for your site and its constraints. Inappropriate treatment systems, or ones that are not operating correctly, can have serious implications for the health of those living in your home as well as the natural environment. Councils have a program of routine inspections of OSSM to ensure that all are operating safely.
Extending an existing house?
If you are extending an existing house that already has an OSSM, Councils usually require a report that assesses whether your existing system has the capacity to operate effectively for a larger dwelling.
We provide System Assessment Reports for submission to Council, which is usually a straightforward assessment of your system, site and projected new usage. If necessary, we can also provide the required reports to install a larger capacity system.
In New South Wales, Councils are required by law to maintain a register of the approvals granted for on-site wastewater management systems including the address, system details and any consent conditions. Once a system is installed and operating, householders are responsible for its correct operation and maintenance, including appropriate service contracts being in place.