Onsite Sewage Management Systems-Aerated Wastewater Treatment Systems

Onsite Sewage Management Systems – Aerated Wastewater Treatment Systems (AWTS)

Did you know that rural councils cannot feasibly service all properties by way of a reticulated sewage system?

Many rural properties and village lots (with a dwelling) must be individually serviced by an onsite sewage management system.

Approximately 1/3 of our households within the Bland Shire Council have an on-site management of domestic sewage waste.

A system that has been commonly installed on properties within the last 20 years in Australia, has been the Aerated Wastewater Treatment System (AWTS). This system has a treatment tank and requires land disposal via way of sprinklers or subsurface irrigation. An AWTS is a higher quality of effluent treatment, as compared to a standard septic tank (conventional system tank and rubble drain). AWTS have an aeration and disinfection process and if not maintained can pose a risk to public health and/or the environment. 

The components of an AWTS require on-going monitoring and maintenance by a suitably qualified/experienced technician/contractor at least once every three (3) months. Regular quarterly servicing is a mandatory requirement as per Council and NSW Department of Health.

If your property has an AWTS installed, it should be registered with Council and regular service reports submitted by your service provider. Please note it is an offence not to maintain your AWTS which could be subject to penalty infringement notice/s.

Council officers may be in contact with you as the owner of the property if service reports have not been furnished to council or records indicate the system is not functioning correctly and requires action.

Should you have any enquiries about your onsite sewage management system, please contact Councils Development & Regulatory Services team on (02) 6972 2266.

For more information on AWTS or other OSSM systems, please see link to Environment and Health Protection Guidelines – Onsite Sewage Management for Single Households: https://www.olg.nsw.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/Onsite-sewage-management-guide.pdf