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A new guideline for onsite wastewater management

The Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) has published a new guideline for onsite wastewater management which replaced EPA Publication 891.4: Code of Practice – onsite wastewater management.

Onsite wastewater management systems (OWMS), also known as septic systems, are used on residential, community and business premises to treat sewage or other human-derived wastewater, which is then disposed of, or recycled.

RMCG has supported the EPA to develop the guideline and gain feedback from a wide range of stakeholders including local government, water corporations and OWMS industry representatives on what worked well in the previous Code of Practice and areas for improvement.

Why do we need a guideline for OWMS?

The guideline is an invaluable reference document that outlines a risk-based approach to managing OWMS and provides links to other useful information.

Put simply, it provides a comprehensive overview of the process for planning, designing, installing, operating, and maintaining OWMS.

The guideline provides support in meeting regulatory requirements for OWMS under the Environment Protection Act 2017 and Environment Protection Regulations 2021. This includes the general environmental duty (GED), A20 permit requirements (for systems under 5,000 litres) and obligations for the operation and maintenance of OWMS.

Most importantly the guideline explains how to minimise the risks to human health and the environment for:

  • OWMS in unsewered and sewered areas, including greywater systems
  • OWMS for single or multi-dwelling premises – including residential, commercial, industrial or community facilities (these include, but are not limited to schools, campgrounds, cafes, wineries, conference centres and public facilities).

The new guideline will play a crucial role in managing the risks of a failing OWMS. If these systems are not used properly, they can lead to poorly treated wastewater entering the environment, which has the potential to pollute waterways, including surface water and groundwater.

A failing OWMS can impact water used for the supply of drinking water and may contribute to the spread of diseases by direct or indirect exposure to human pathogens.

Who will use the guideline

The guideline supports:

  • Onsite wastewater professionals, such as plumbers and land capability assessors
  • Regulators, including local government
  • Water corporations
  • Property owners and occupiers.

Access the EPA’s Guideline for onsite wastewater management.

Find out more about RMCG’s work in water

Team

Trent Wallis

Trent Wallis

Associate

BSc, MEnvSt, GDipPD(EnvSt)

Trent has an extensive background in environmental planning and natural resource management, with particular expertise in waterway management and planning. This includes 21 years of public sector experience working for catchment management authorities and the state government.

Trent’s work focuses on strategic environmental policy, planning and evaluation, and supporting project teams with the delivery of long-term catchment health outcomes. He is also experienced in community and stakeholder management, and has a strong understanding of the importance of genuine engagement to ensure project buy-in and support. He has worked with, and led, integrated project teams, stakeholder and community project committees, forums and working groups, and technical expert groups.

Anna Kelliher

Anna Kelliher

Managing Principal

BA, BE (Hons), GAICD

Anna is an environmental engineer with 20 years’ experience in water and catchment management. She specialises in recycled water planning, irrigation modernisation, land capability assessment, environmental risk assessment and catchment condition reporting. Anna has experience working with industry, government, farmers and the community, and has developed sound teamwork, communication and project management skills.

Duncan Wallis

Duncan Wallis

Associate

BEng (Ag), MEng (Env), CPEng.

Duncan is a Chartered Engineer with 25 years’ experience in environmental, irrigation, agricultural, drinking water, domestic wastewater, sewerage, trade waste, recycled water and catchment management engineering in the public and private sectors.

He specialises in water related infrastructure planning and investigations and uses skills and tools such as GIS mapping, spatial data analysis and network analysis to develop practical solutions to complex problems and uses the ‘power’ of spatial data analysis to convey information effectively.

He can communicate technical concepts in non-technical forums and has experience consulting and working with farmers and landholders, government departments and wider community on route planning for pipelines and shared trails including rail trails. He has recently prepared successful EPA works approval applications for major food processing companies and expert witness statements in agricultural settings.

Duncan is currently involved in Australian Water and Wastewater’s mentor program and reviews articles for their Water Journal. He previously helped run the Institute of Engineers’ EngQuest regional program for students.

Dimi Kyriakou

Dimi Kyriakou

Senior Communications Consultant

B.Comm. (Journalism)

Dimi is an experienced communications consultant with expertise in content and strategy development, editing, website and social media curation, survey design and analysis, desktop publishing, media relations and crisis communications.

Dimi is passionate about delivering clear communications services to Australia’s agricultural, environmental and regional community sectors. She is skilled in communicating complex information in a clear and informative way that is easily understood by the target audience.