Septic and wastewater rules on the border

Anywhere off the sewer, the wastewater system is a regulated piece of infrastructure, not a plumbing detail. Most of the rural Riverina, the Murray shires, Ovens Murray and the Goulburn Valley run on septic tanks or aerated treatment systems, and the rules are stricter than most people assume.

Two permissions matter. Approval to install or alter a system, and approval to operate it once it is in. Doing the work first and asking later is how people end up ripping out a $20,000 installation.

New South Wales

In New South Wales, onsite sewage management is regulated by councils under the Local Government Act. You need council approval to install or alter a sewage management facility, and a separate approval to operate it, which is generally renewed on a cycle set by the council.

The treatment unit itself has to be an accredited model. NSW Health accredits domestic wastewater treatment systems, and a council will not approve an unaccredited unit. Ask the supplier for the accreditation, not just the brochure.

The application usually needs a site plan, the soil and site assessment that sizes the land application area, the accreditation details of the unit, and the licence details of whoever is installing it. Councils in the Riverina and the Murray shires publish their own checklists and they vary, so ring the environmental health officer before you design anything.

Victoria

In Victoria, onsite wastewater systems handling less than 5,000 litres a day are approved by the local council under the framework set by the Environment Protection Authority. The council issues a permit to install or alter a septic tank system, and a permit to use it once the work is inspected.

The treatment system must hold an EPA Certificate of Conformity. That certificate names the conditions the system is approved for, and the council will check it.

Most Victorian councils require a Land Capability Assessment for new systems and for many alterations. That is a report by a suitably qualified consultant on whether the site can absorb and treat the effluent, taking in soil type, slope, setbacks, groundwater, flooding and the size of the block. It drives the whole design. On tight blocks it sometimes concludes the site cannot support the system the owner wanted.

The Victorian code of practice for onsite wastewater management sets the technical rules, and the plumbing work follows the national standard for onsite domestic wastewater management.

Who can do the work

Installation is licensed plumbing work in both states. In New South Wales it needs a drainer with the appropriate licence from NSW Fair Trading. In Victoria it needs a licensed plumber holding the drainage class and, where relevant, sanitary and water, registered with the Victorian Building Authority. Victorian work in a certifying class produces a compliance certificate at the end.

Earthworks, tank delivery and trenching are often done by a separate contractor working under the plumber. That is fine, as long as the licensed person is responsible for the installation and issues the paperwork. Check the number before the excavator arrives, using our licence check tool or the steps in how to check a tradie licence.

Electrical connection for an aerated system, meaning the blower, the pump and the alarm, is electrical work and needs a licensed electrician. In Victoria that produces a Certificate of Electrical Safety.

Indicative costs

Permit fees are set by each council and change, so get the current figure from the council rather than an old forum post. Everything above is indicative, and a difficult site changes it substantially. Rock, high groundwater, a steep fall, a small block or a flood prone river frontage all push the design up a tier.

The ongoing obligations

An aerated system is not fit and forget. Most approvals require a service contract with scheduled visits, and the service reports go to the council. Skipping servicing is the most common breach, and it is also how a system quietly fails until the effluent surfaces in the paddock.

A conventional septic tank needs pumping out on a cycle that depends on tank size and household size. The land application area needs to stay clear of vehicles, stock and hard surfaces, and it needs to keep its vegetation, because the plants do a good share of the work.

Do not divert stormwater into the trenches, and keep wipes, fats and heavy disinfectants out of the system. Those three habits account for most of the failures a service technician sees.

Buying a property with a septic system

A standard pre purchase building inspection does not assess wastewater. Arrange a separate inspection, and ask the vendor for the approval to install, the approval or permit to use, and the service records. Councils hold records of approved systems, and a system with no record is a genuine problem to price in.

The questions worth asking are simple. When was it installed, what type is it, when was it last pumped out or serviced, where is the land application area, and has it ever surfaced or smelled after heavy rain. Ask the neighbours the last one. There is more on inspection scope in what a building inspection costs.

If the system is failing, replacement is not a small job, and on a constrained block the council may require a higher grade system than the one being replaced. That is a negotiating point before contracts, not a surprise afterwards.

Where to start

Ring the council first. In both states the environmental health officer will tell you what the local requirements are, and the good ones will tell you what usually gets knocked back before you spend money on a design.

Then get quotes from installers who work in that shire regularly, because they know the local checklists. Browse septic services, or start with local listings for plumbers in Wodonga.